JP2007106233A - Armrest structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a load transmitting from an armrest to an object inside the vehicle by sufficiently ensuring a deformation stroke of the armrest without depending on the position in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the load applied from inside of the vehicle in a side collision. <P>SOLUTION: When an operating part 16 of the armrest 14 abuts to an object 32 inside the vehicle by the side collision, a load f from the object to the operating part 16 is concentratedly applied on a part of the operating part 16 through a load transmission part 18. A force couple relative to the operating part 16 is generated by a position regulation part 20 and the load transmission part 18 which are provided outside of the vehicle width direction of the operating part 16 in a door trim 12 and at the position different in height from the load transmission part 18, and the operating part 16 is wholly turned around the vehicle longitudinal direction thereby. The load transmitting from the armrest 14 to the object 32 inside the vehicle can be reduced by sufficiently ensuring the deformation stroke of the armrest 14 without depending on the vehicle longitudinal direction of the load f. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an armrest structure having an operation unit that is used by an occupant as an operation force input unit when opening and closing a door from the inside of a vehicle.

As a conventional armrest structure, the pull handle (pull cup), which is the operation part when opening and closing the door from the inside of the vehicle, is divided into two parts, the outside member and the inside member, and the load is applied from the inside to the inside member at the time of a side collision. When this occurs, the vehicle interior member is bent and deformed to absorb the impact (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-9991 A

  However, in the above-described conventional example, when a load from the vehicle interior acts on the position of the vehicle interior member, the vehicle interior member can bend and deform to be able to secure a certain degree of deformation stroke of the armrest. When the load from the vehicle acts on a region straddling the vehicle outer side member, the vehicle outer side member exists as a strength member, so that a sufficient deformation stroke of the armrest cannot be secured.

  In consideration of the above fact, the present invention ensures a sufficient deformation stroke of the armrest and is transmitted from the armrest to the object in the vehicle without depending on the position in the vehicle longitudinal direction of the load acting from the inside of the vehicle at the time of a side collision. The purpose is to reduce the load.

  The invention of claim 1 includes an armrest provided on the door trim, an operation portion provided on the armrest and usable as an operation force input portion when an occupant opens and closes the door, and a vehicle width of the operation portion in the door trim. A load transmitting portion that is provided on the inner side of the vehicle and that causes a load to act on a part of the operation portion when a load is applied from the inside of the vehicle toward the operation portion, and the operation portion in the door trim. It is provided at a height position different from the load transmitting portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and when the load acts on the operation portion, the operation portion is restricted from parallel movement outward in the vehicle width direction and the operation And a position restricting portion capable of rotating the portion around the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  In the armrest structure according to claim 1, when the operation portion of the armrest comes into contact with an object in the vehicle due to a side collision, a reaction force is generated from the object toward the operation portion, and the reaction force is used as a load to load the load transmission portion. It acts on a part of the operation part intensively. At this time, the parallel movement of the operation portion to the outside in the vehicle width direction is restricted by the position restricting portion provided at the height position different from the load transmitting portion and outside the operation portion in the door trim. Coupled force is generated with respect to the operating portion by the position restricting portion and the load transmitting portion having different height positions, and thereby the operating portion rotates entirely around the vehicle front-rear direction.

  As described above, the entire operation portion rotates, so that the movement stroke of the operation portion at the height position of the load transmitting portion can be further increased, and the load acting on the operation portion from the inside of the vehicle at the time of a side collision can be increased. Without depending on the position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a sufficient deformation stroke of the armrest can be secured, and the load transmitted from the armrest to the object in the vehicle can be reduced.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the armrest structure according to the first aspect, the load transmitting portion is provided below the position restricting portion in a vehicle vertical direction, and a bottom portion of the operation portion is disposed in the door trim. The bottom portion is supported by a support member arranged in the width direction, and the bottom portion extends along the support member when the load acts on the operation portion via the load transmitting portion and the operation portion rotates. It is characterized by being slidable.

  In the armrest structure according to claim 2, when a load from the vehicle inner side to the operation unit is generated when a side collision is received, the load is transmitted below the position restricting unit in the vehicle vertical direction. By acting on the lower part of the operation part via the part, the operation part rotates so that the lower part moves outward in the vehicle width direction with the position restricting part as a fulcrum, and the bottom part of the operation part is It slides outward in the vehicle width direction along the support member that supports the bottom. For this reason, compared with the case where the bottom part is fixed to the support member, the movement stroke of the lower part of the operation part becomes larger, and more deformation strokes of the armrest can be secured.

  As described above, according to the armrest structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the deformation stroke of the armrest can be reduced without depending on the vehicle front-rear direction position of the load acting on the operation portion from the vehicle inner side in the case of a side collision. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that the load transmitted from the armrest to the object in the vehicle can be reduced sufficiently.

  According to the armrest structure of the second aspect, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that more deformation strokes of the armrest can be secured as compared with the case where the bottom portion of the operation portion is fixed to the support member.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, the armrest structure S according to the present embodiment includes an armrest 14 provided on a door trim 12 that is an interior member of the door 10, a pull cup 16 that is an example of an operation unit, a load transmission unit 18, and a position. And a regulating unit 20.

  The armrest 14 is formed such that a part of the door trim 12 protrudes toward the inside of the vehicle and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction so that an occupant can mount an arm (not shown). The pull cup 16 is provided on the armrest 14 and is a portion that can be used as an operation force input unit when the occupant opens and closes the door 10. For example, the pull cup 16 is configured as a container-like member having an opening 16 </ b> A that opens upward. The opening 16A is exposed on the armrest 14, and the edge 16C around the opening 16A is fitted so as not to protrude on the armrest 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the region where the edge 16C of the pull cup 16 is in contact with the door trim 12 is not so large in the vehicle vertical direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a support member 22 that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the door panel 30 and is formed thin in the vehicle vertical direction is disposed in the door trim 12, and the bottom portion 16 </ b> B of the pull cup 16 is While being supported by the support member 22, the support member 22 is restrained in the vehicle vertical direction by bolts 24 and nuts 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 22 has a long hole 22A that is long in the vehicle width direction, and the bolt 24 is inserted through the long hole 22A. Thereby, the bottom portion 16 </ b> B of the pull cup 16 can slide in the surface direction along the support member 22.

  In FIG. 2, the load transmission portion 18 is provided inside the pull cup 16 in the vehicle width direction inside the door trim 12. For example, the load transmission portion 18 protrudes outward from the door trim 12 in the vehicle width direction and below the position regulating portion 20 to the pull cup 16. It is formed as a projecting portion that comes into contact with or close to, and when a load f is applied from the vehicle interior toward the pull cup 16, the load f can be concentratedly applied to the lower portion of the pull cup 16. Yes. The load transmitting portion 18 is provided continuously or intermittently over substantially the entire length of the pull cup 16 in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  The position restricting portion 20 is provided in the door trim 12 at an outer position in the vehicle width direction of the pull cup 16 and at a different height from the load transmitting portion 18, and when the load f acts on the pull cup 16, the pull cup 16 moves outward in the vehicle width direction. The pull cup 16 is configured to be capable of rotating around the vehicle front-rear direction. Specifically, the position restricting portion 20 is different from the height position of the load transmitting portion 18, for example, a protrusion that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the door panel 30 so that the tip is in contact with or close to the upper portion of the pull cup 16. It is formed as a part. The position restricting portion 20 is provided continuously or intermittently over substantially the entire length of the pull cup 16 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

  In FIG. 2, the load transmitting portion 18 is drawn integrally with the door trim 12, and the support member 22 and the position restricting portion 20 are drawn integrally with the door panel 30. However, they may be attached as separate parts. . Further, the projections corresponding to the load transmitting portion 18 and the position restricting portion 20 may be provided on the pull cup 16 side instead of providing the protruding load transmitting portion 18 and the position restricting portion 20 on the door trim 12 or the door panel 30. Good.

  Further, although the operation unit has been described as the pull cup 16, the present invention is not limited to this, and a member provided in the armrest 14, that is, an accessory case or a switch box may be used.

(Function)
In FIG. 2, there is a side collision with the door 10, and the side impact load F (primary collision load) causes the door 10 to be pushed inward in the vehicle width direction, whereby the armrest 14 abuts against an object 32 in the vehicle. Then, a reaction force (secondary collision load) is generated from the object 32 toward the pull cup 16 in the armrest 14, and the reaction force becomes a load f through a part of the pull cup 16, that is, the pull cup 16. Acts intensively on the lower part. At this time, the vehicle width of the pull cup 16 is adjusted by the position restricting portion 20 provided in the door trim 12 at a height position different from the load transmitting portion 18 outside the vehicle cup width direction of the pull cup 16. Parallel movement to the outside in the direction is restricted, and a couple is generated with respect to the pull cup 16 by the position restricting portion 20 and the load transmitting portion 18 at a position relatively lower than the position restricting portion 20, thereby The pull cup 16 rotates as a whole in the vehicle front-rear direction (in the example shown, counterclockwise when viewed from the rear of the vehicle in the forward direction).

  More specifically, the load f acts on the lower portion of the pull cup 16 via the load transmitting portion 18 provided on the lower side in the vehicle vertical direction with respect to the position restricting portion 20, so that the lower portion is position restricted. The pull cup 16 rotates so as to move outward in the vehicle width direction with the portion 20 as a fulcrum. At this time, the upper portion of the pull cup 16 is relatively moved inward in the vehicle width direction with the load transmitting portion 18 as a fulcrum. Since the load transmitting portion 18 and the position restricting portion 20 are provided continuously or intermittently over substantially the entire length of the pull cup 16 in the vehicle front-rear direction, the input position of the load f in the vehicle front-rear direction is determined by the pull cup 16. Even at the front end portion and the rear end portion, the pull cup 16 rotates in the same manner. That is, the vehicle front-rear direction position of a seating seat (not shown) differs depending on the size of the object 32 and the object 32 is not only located at the center portion of the pull cup 16 but also located at the front end portion or the rear end portion. It is possible to cope with the case.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the support member 22 that supports the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 has an outer portion 22B in the vehicle width direction than the support portion 22C that is in contact with the bottom portion 16B as the pull cup 16 rotates. Bend at. Further, since the bolt 24 that restrains the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 to the support member 22 is inserted into the elongated hole 22A of the support member 22, the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 is within the range of the support portion 22C that is not bent. , Slide in the direction of arrow A toward the outside in the vehicle width direction along the support member 22 (FIG. 3).

  When the load f is small, the support member 22 is not bent so much, and the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 slides along the support member 22 outward in the vehicle width direction.

  On the other hand, the region where the edge portion 16C of the pull cup 16 is in contact with the door trim 12 is not so large in the vehicle vertical direction, so that the edge portion 16C can be easily detached from the armrest 14 and the pull cup 16 can be easily rotated. Can do.

  As described above, in the armrest structure S, the pull cup 16 rotates as a whole, so that the movement stroke of the pull cup 16 at the height position of the load transmitting portion 18 can be further increased. The deformation stroke of the armrest 14 can be sufficiently ensured without depending on the position of the load f acting on the vehicle 16 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. By increasing the deformation stroke of the armrest 14, the load transmitted from the armrest 14 to the object 32 is reduced.

  Further, since the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 slides outward in the vehicle width direction along the support member 22 when the pull cup 16 is rotated, the pull cup 16 is compared with the case where the bottom portion 16B is fixed to the support member 22. The movement stroke of the lower portion of the armrest 14 becomes larger, and a larger deformation stroke of the armrest 14 can be secured. For this reason, the load transmitted from the armrest 14 to the object 32 can be further reduced.

  In addition, a weak portion (not shown) that is a bending start point is provided at a predetermined position of the support member 22, for example, in the vicinity of the outer portion 22 </ b> B in the vehicle width direction, and the support member 22 actively guides the rotation of the pull cup 16. You may use as a guide part. Further, the support member 22 may be provided with, for example, a slit (not shown) opened on the vehicle interior side instead of the elongated hole 22A. Further, the configuration in which the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 slides along the support member 22 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the support member 22 is provided with a rail (not shown) extending in the vehicle width direction. The bottom 16B may be provided with a guide portion (not shown) that can slide on the rail.

  Further, instead of the bolt 24, the bottom portion 16B of the pull cup 16 is fixed to the support member 22 using a pin or the like that breaks when a predetermined load is applied, and when the pull cup 16 rotates, The bottom portion 16B may be detached from the support member 22.

It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the door trim which has an armrest structure from the vehicle inner side. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow 2-2 in FIG. 1, showing the state of the pull cup in the armrest and the sliding state of the pull cup when the load is applied. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing a long hole provided in the support member and a bolt inserted through the long hole.

Explanation of symbols

10 door 12 door trim 14 armrest 16 pull cup (operation part)
16B Bottom 18 Load transmitting portion 20 Position restricting portion 22 Support member f Load S Armrest structure

Claims (2)

An armrest provided on the door trim;
An operation unit provided on the armrest and usable as an operation force input unit when the occupant opens and closes the door;
A load transmitting portion that is provided inside the door trim in the vehicle width direction of the operation portion and causes the load to concentrate on a part of the operation portion when a load acts from the vehicle inner side toward the operation portion. When,
Provided in the door trim at a height position different from the load transmitting portion and outside the operation portion in the vehicle width direction, and when the load acts on the operation portion, the operation portion translates outward in the vehicle width direction. A position restricting portion capable of turning the operation portion around the vehicle longitudinal direction,
The armrest structure characterized by having. The load transmitting portion is provided on the vehicle vertical direction lower side than the position restricting portion,
The bottom portion of the operation portion is supported by a support member disposed in the vehicle width direction in the door trim, and the bottom portion is configured so that the load acts on the operation portion via the load transmission portion. The armrest structure according to claim 1, wherein the armrest structure is slidable along the support member when rotated.

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