JP2011054466A - Operation knob for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation knob for a vehicle, which has a simple structure and achieves an impact absorbing capability itself upon collision of vehicles. <P>SOLUTION: When a load of a predetermined value or greater is applied to an operation section 3 upon collision of vehicles, the operation knob 1 for a vehicle disengages a projection 231A from an engagement hole 321 with elastic deformation of an elastic deformation claw 23A, dismounting the operation section 3 from a base 2, so that the operation section 3 stops at a position where the operation section 3 is pressed into the base 2 by a predetermined amount, and changes its state to a collision state where the amount of projection of the operation section 3 to an instrument panel is reduced. The operation knob 1 can be restored to the normal state by pulling out the operation section 3 from the base 2 while elastically deforming the elastic deformation claw 23A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation knob provided in a vehicle instrument panel so as to be manually operable.

  The vehicle instrument panel is provided with a temperature controller (heater controller), an audio controller, and the like, and these operation knobs protrude a predetermined amount toward the rear of the vehicle. Then, when the occupant collides with the operation knob at the time of the vehicle collision (currently when a load of about 38 daN is applied), in order to protect the occupant, the protrusion amount of the operation knob is set to a predetermined protrusion amount (currently 9.5 mm). ) The standard stipulates that it needs to be changed to the following.

  For example, in a vehicle mode switch assembly having an impact absorbing device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a knob protruding from a vehicle interior center fascia panel is attached to a switch shaft via an elastic member. When a certain impact or constant load is applied to the knob at the time of a vehicle collision, the knob moves along the shaft while elastically deforming the elastic member and the surrounding elastic support portion due to the impact, and is applied to the occupant. Is mitigating the impact. Further, when the impact applied to the knob is removed, the elastic member and the elastic support portion are restored to the elastic deformation, so that the original state can be easily restored.

  Further, for example, in the vehicle control panel of Patent Document 2, a picture display board disposed on the back side of the operation knob for operating the control unit is attached from the back side of the panel body, and the space between the picture display board and the panel body is attached. These joints are attached with a speed nut that unlocks the joint state when an external force exceeding a predetermined strength is applied. When an impact force is applied to the operation knob, the fixed portion of the control unit is broken, the speed nut is released from the protrusion, and the operation knob can be retracted toward the back side of the panel body. This prevents the edge of the cracked panel from remaining on the surface of the vehicle control panel after receiving a collision force from the passenger compartment, and prevents the operation knob from remaining as a projection.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-11744 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-216983

  However, in patent document 1, it is necessary to comprise a knob and the elastic support part provided in the site | part which supports a knob from a rubber material etc., The shaping | molding becomes complicated. Moreover, in patent document 1, not only a knob but the surrounding elastic support part is utilized and the structure which reduces the protrusion amount of a knob at the time of a vehicle collision is employ | adopted. Also in Patent Document 2, a structure is employed in which the amount of protrusion of the knob is reduced at the time of a vehicle collision by utilizing the destruction of the fixed portion of the control unit. Therefore, it is not sufficient to reduce the protruding amount of the knob (operation knob) with a simpler structure.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and intends to provide an operation knob for a vehicle that has a simple structure and can realize an impact absorbing function at the time of a vehicle collision by the operation knob itself. Is.

The present invention is an operation knob that enables manual operation of an input unit in a controller of functional parts in an instrument panel of a vehicle,
The operation knob includes a base part attached to the input part and an operation part attached to the base part.
The one side mounting portion of either the base portion or the operation portion is formed with an elastic deformation claw that is configured to be elastically deformable by providing a protrusion on the tip portion, and the base portion, the operation portion, The other side mounting portion of the other is formed with a recess or a hole where the projection is locked,
In a normal state, the projection is locked in the recess or hole, and the operation part is attached to the base part.
When a load greater than a predetermined value at the time of a vehicle collision is applied to the operation portion, the protrusion of the protrusion with respect to the recess or hole is released due to elastic deformation of the elastic deformation claw, and the operation portion is attached to the base portion. When the state is released, the operation unit is stopped at a position where the operation unit is pushed by a predetermined amount with respect to the base unit, and is changed to a collision state in which the projection amount of the operation unit with respect to the instrument panel is reduced. An operation knob for a vehicle characterized in that (claim 1).

The operation knob for a vehicle according to the present invention is composed of two parts, a base portion and an operation portion, and has a simple structure and can realize an impact absorbing function at the time of a vehicle collision by the operation knob itself.
In the operation knob of the present invention, an elastic deformation claw is formed on one side mounting portion in either one of the base portion and the operation portion, and a recess or hole is formed in the other side mounting portion in the other of the base portion and the operation portion. Forming. In the normal state, the protrusion is locked in the recess or the hole, and the operation part is attached to the base part. Thereby, the passenger | crew of a vehicle can operate the input part in the controller of a functional component via a base part by manually operating an operation part.

On the other hand, when a load (impact load) of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation part by a passenger or the like at the time of a vehicle collision, the protrusion of the protrusion with respect to the recess or hole is released due to the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation claw, and the operation to the base part The part is not attached. As a result, the operation knob changes to a collision state and stops at a position where the operation portion is pushed into the base portion by a predetermined amount, so that the protrusion amount of the operation portion with respect to the instrument panel can be reduced.
Therefore, the structure (shock absorbing function) that can reduce the protruding amount of the operation part (operation knob) at the time of a vehicle collision is easily realized by a simple structure using two parts of the base part and the operation part can do. And the passenger | crew who collided with the operation knob can be protected.

Therefore, according to the operation knob for a vehicle of the present invention, a shock absorbing function at the time of a vehicle collision can be realized with a simple structure and the operation knob itself.
Further, in the present invention, the operation knob or its peripheral parts are not destroyed when the amount of protrusion of the operation portion is reduced. As a result, after the amount of protrusion of the operation portion is reduced at the time of a vehicle collision, the operation knob can be easily returned to the original normal state by pulling out the operation portion from the base portion while elastically deforming the elastic deformation claw. .

The perspective view which shows the operation knob of the state decomposed | disassembled into the base part and the operation part in an Example. The perspective view which shows the periphery of the instrument panel which arrange | positioned the operation knob in an Example. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, which is a cross-section at the formation position of a slip-out preventing elastic deformation claw in the normal state of the operation knob in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1, which is a cross-section at the formation position of the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw in the normal state of the operation knob in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, which is a cross-section at a formation position of a slip-out preventing elastic deformation claw in the collision state of the operation knob in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1, which is a cross-section at the formation position of the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw in the collision state of the operation knob in the embodiment. The figure which shows the state in which the operation part was attached to the base part in an Example, and is sectional drawing equivalent to CC arrow in FIG.

A preferred embodiment of the above-described operation knob for a vehicle of the present invention will be described.
In the present invention, the operation knob for a vehicle is preferably configured to be able to return to the normal state by pulling out the operation portion from the base portion while elastically deforming the elastic deformation claw (claim). Item 2).
In this case, after the impact load at the time of the vehicle collision is applied and the protruding amount of the operation part decreases, it can be easily returned to the original normal state without replacing parts, and the operation knob can be used repeatedly. Can do.

The operation knob may be a dial type operation knob for manually rotating the input unit.
In this case, for example, with respect to a dial type operation knob provided in an air conditioner, an audio system, a car navigation system, etc., an operation knob having the above-described excellent operational effects can be realized.

The functional component is an air conditioner, and a plurality of controllers for the air conditioner are integrated side by side, and the operation knob is a manual operation of each input unit in the controller for the integrated air conditioner. Is preferably possible (claim 4).
According to the operation knob of the present invention, the amount of protrusion of the operation unit can be reduced without destroying the parts on the controller side, so that the controller for the air conditioner can be integrated. As a result, the space occupied by the controller for the air conditioner in the instrument panel can be easily reduced, and the cost of the mounting portion of the controller for the air conditioner can be reduced.

Further, the elastic deformation claw provided on the one side mounting portion includes the slip-prevention elastic deformation claw in which the protrusion is fitted in the concave portion or the hole provided on the other side mounting portion in the normal state, and the normal state. In the normal state, when the operation portion is to be pulled out, the protrusion on the slip-off preventing elastic deformation claw is formed in the concave portion. Alternatively, the protrusion is locked to the end surface of the other side mounting portion when the operation portion is locked with a hole and the operation portion is pushed with a load less than a predetermined value. In the collision state, the locking state of the protrusions in the elastic deformation claw for preventing slipping and the locking state of the protrusions in the elastic deformation claw for pushing restriction are released, and the operation unit is It is preferred that are configured to stop at a predetermined amount pushed-in position relative to the serial base unit (claim 5).
In this case, the mounting structure of the one-side mounting portion in the base portion and the other-side mounting portion in the operation portion is appropriate, and the operation knob having the above-described excellent effect using the two parts of the base portion and the operation portion. Can be easily realized.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the operation knob for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the operation knob 1 for a vehicle according to the present example enables manual operation of an input unit 41 of a functional component controller 4 in an instrument panel 5 of the vehicle.
The operation knob 1 includes a base portion 2 attached to the input portion 41 of the controller 4 and an operation portion 3 attached to the base portion 2. The one side mounting portion 22 of the base portion 2 is formed with elastic deformation claws 23A and 23B which are provided with protrusions 231A and 231B at the tip portion so as to be elastically deformable. The other attachment portion 32 in the operation portion 3 is formed with a locking hole portion 321 in which the protrusion 231A is locked.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the normal state A, the operation knob 1 has the protrusion 231 </ b> A locked in the locking hole 321 and the operating section 3 attached to the base 2. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation knob 1 has a projection 231A with respect to the locking hole portion 321 due to elastic deformation of the elastic deformation claw 23A when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation portion 3 at the time of the vehicle collision. When the operating state of the operating portion 3 is released from the base portion 2, the operating portion 3 is stopped at a position where the operating portion 3 is pushed into the base portion 2 by a predetermined amount. 3 is changed to a collision state B in which the protrusion amount a of 3 is reduced. Furthermore, the operation knob 1 is configured to be able to return to the normal state A by pulling out the operation unit 3 from the base unit 2 while elastically deforming the elastic deformation claws 23A and 23B.

Below, it demonstrates in full detail with reference to FIGS. 1-7 about the operation knob 1 for vehicles of this example.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle operation knob 1 of this example is a dial type operation knob for manually rotating the input unit 41 in the controller 4. The functional component in this example is an air conditioner, and the controller 4 in this example includes a temperature adjustment controller for the air conditioner (one that adjusts the temperature of the blown air), a blower controller (one that adjusts the amount of blown air), mode It is a controller (one that switches air flow to the face, defroster, feet, etc.), and these three controllers 4 are integrated in a side-by-side state. In the same figure, the operation knob 1 attached to each input part 41 of a temperature control controller, a blower controller, and a mode controller is shown by 1A, 1B, 1C, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 3, the input part 41 of the controller 4 is provided as a pivotable shaft part, and a hollow hole 411 is formed in the shaft part.
The base portion 2 is formed by connecting the fitting portion 21 to be fitted into the hollow hole 411 in the input portion (shaft portion) 41 of the controller 4 to the one side attachment portion 22. The fitting portion 21 is formed in a square cross-sectional shape in order to prevent rotation with respect to the input portion 41. In addition, an elastic deformation claw 211 having a protrusion is formed in the fitting portion 21, and the protrusion of the elastic deformation claw 211 is fitted and locked in a hole portion 412 provided in the input portion 41.

  In the operation knob 1 of this example, the elastic deformation claws 23A and 23B provided on the one side attachment portion 22 of the base portion 2 are provided with the protrusion 231A in the normal state A as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic deformation claw 23 </ b> A fitted in the locking hole portion 321 provided in 32 and the protrusion 231 </ b> B in the normal state A as shown in FIG. And a pressing restricting elastic deformation claw 23B abutted on the bottom surface of the portion 322.

As shown in FIG. 1, the slip-preventing elastic deformation claws 23 </ b> A are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction of the one side attachment portion 22 (around the axial direction where the base portion 2 and the operation portion 3 are attached). ). In addition, the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23B is formed at a position (two positions in this example) facing each other excluding a formation position of the slip-off preventing elastic deformation claw 23A in the circumferential direction of the one side attachment portion 22. In FIG. 3, the axial direction is indicated by an arrow L.
Each elastically deformable claw 23A, 23B is cantilevered by a pair of slits 230 provided at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction with respect to the one side mounting portion 22 formed in a cylindrical shape (the base end portion is one side mounting portion). 22). The protrusions 231A and 231B are provided so as to protrude radially outward at the distal ends of the elastic deformation claws 23A and 23B.

The operation part 3 is formed by projecting the other side attachment part 32 from the back side of the front plate part of the main body part 31 formed in a cup shape.
In the other side attachment portion 32 of the operation portion 3, a locking hole portion 321 into which the protrusion 231A of the slip-out preventing elastic deformation claw 23A is fitted is formed at a position corresponding to the slip-out prevention elastic deformation claw 23A. A cutout portion 322 with which the protrusion 231B of the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23B abuts is formed at a position corresponding to the elastic deformation claw 23B.
As shown in FIG. 3, a retraction hole 323 for retreating the projection 231 </ b> A of the slip-out preventing elastic deformation claw 23 </ b> A is formed on the proximal end side in the axial direction with respect to the locking hole 321 in the other side attachment portion 32. . As shown in FIG. 4, a retraction hole 323 for retreating the protrusion 231 </ b> B of the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23 </ b> B is formed on the proximal end side in the axial direction with respect to the notch 322 in the other side attachment portion 32. .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the operation knob 1 of this example, when the operation portion 3 is pushed into the base portion 2 by a predetermined amount, the distal end portion of the one side attachment portion 22 of the base portion 2 is the operation portion 3. It is comprised so that the amount of pushing of the operation part 3 may be controlled in contact with the back surface in the main-body part 31 of this.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cylindrical tip of the main body 31 of the operation unit 3 is engaged with a folded portion 511 provided at the edge of the opening of the cluster panel 51 in the instrument panel 5, and A hooked portion 311 is formed to prevent disconnection.

In the normal state A, as shown in FIG. 3, when the operation knob 1 is pulled out, the projection 231A on the elastic deformation claw 23A for preventing removal is locked to the locking hole 321 as shown in FIG. When the operation unit 3 is pushed in with a load less than a predetermined value, the protrusion 231B of the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23B is configured to be engaged with the end surface (bottom surface) of the notch 322 of the other side attachment portion 32.
In the collision state B, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation knob 1 is in the locked state of the protrusion 231A in the slip-out preventing elastic deformation claw 23A and in the locked state of the protrusion 231B in the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23B. Is released, and the operation unit 3 is configured to stop at a position where the operation unit 3 is pushed into the base unit 2 by a predetermined amount.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the operation unit 3 is attached to the base unit 2 in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction. A reinforcing rib (in this example, a cross-type reinforcing rib) 24 is provided in the one side mounting portion 22 of the operation portion 3 to connect the circumferential portions where the elastic deformation claws 23A and 23B are not formed.

Next, the operation and effect of the operation knob 1 for a vehicle of this example will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the operation knob 1 of the present example, in the normal state A, locks the protrusion 231 </ b> A in the elastic deformation claw 23 </ b> A with respect to the locking hole 321 and the end surface (bottom surface) of the notch 322. The operation portion 3 is stably attached to the base portion 2 by the locking of the protrusion 231B in the pressing restricting elastic deformation claw 23B. Thereby, the passenger | crew of a vehicle can operate the input part 41 in the controller 4 of an air-conditioning apparatus stably via the base part 2 by operating the operation part 3 manually.

On the other hand, when a load (impact load) of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation unit 3 by a passenger or the like at the time of a vehicle collision, as shown in FIG. 5, the slip-out preventing elastic deformation claw 23A is elastically deformed, and the projection 231A is locked. After detaching from the hole 321, the retreat hole 323 is entered. Further, at this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23 </ b> B is elastically deformed, and the protrusion 231 </ b> B is removed from the end surface (bottom surface) of the notch 322 and then enters the retraction hole 323. And the front-end | tip part of the one side attaching part 22 of the base part 2 contact | abuts to the back surface in the main-body part 31 of the operation part 3, and the pushing amount of the operation part 3 is controlled by predetermined amount.
As a result, the operation knob 1 changes to the collision state B, and the operation unit 3 stops at a position where the operation unit 3 is pushed into the base unit 2 by a predetermined amount, and the projection amount of the operation unit 3 with respect to the cluster panel 51 of the instrument panel 5 a can be reduced. In the collision state A, the protruding amount a of the operation unit 3 with respect to the cluster panel 51 of the instrument panel 5 is within 9.5 mm.

Therefore, a structure capable of reducing the protrusion amount a of the operation unit 3 (operation knob 1) can be easily realized by a simple structure using the two parts of the base unit 2 and the operation unit 3. And the passenger | crew who collided with the operation knob 1 can be protected.
Moreover, in this example, when reducing the protrusion amount a of the operation part 3, the operation knob 1 or its surrounding parts are not destroyed. Thereby, the operation knob 1 can be easily returned to the original normal state A after the vehicle collision, and the operation knob 1 can be used repeatedly.

When the operation knob 1 is returned to the original normal state A after the operation unit 3 is pushed into the base unit 2, an occupant, an operator, or the like can pull out the operation unit 3 from the base unit 2. . At this time, the pull-out preventing elastic deformation claw 23 </ b> A is elastically deformed, and after the projection 231 </ b> A is detached from the retraction hole 323, it is locked again in the locking hole 321. At this time, the push-in restricting elastic deformation claw 23B is elastically deformed, and the projection 231B comes out of the retraction hole 323 and then comes into contact with the end surface (bottom surface) of the notch 322 again.
Thus, after the projecting amount a of the operation portion 3 is reduced at the time of a vehicle collision, the operation knob 1 is pulled out from the base portion 2 while elastically deforming the elastic deformation claws 23A and 23B, whereby the operation knob 1 is returned to the original normal state. It is possible to easily return to A. Thereby, the state in which the operation unit 3 is attached to the base unit 2 is formed again, and the same operation knob 1 can be used again.

  Therefore, according to the operation knob 1 for a vehicle of this example, the shock absorption function at the time of a vehicle collision can be realized by a simple structure and the operation knob 1 itself, and the original operation can be easily performed without replacing parts. The normal state can be restored.

  Moreover, according to the operation knob 1 of this example, since the protrusion amount a of the said operation part 3 can be reduced without destroying the components by the side of the controller 4, the controller 4 for air conditioning equipment is integrated. Can do. Thereby, the space which the controller 4 for air-conditioning equipment occupies in the instrument panel 5 can be reduced easily, and the cost reduction of the attachment part of the controller 4 for air-conditioning equipment can be aimed at.

  In this example, as described above, the base portion 2 is one of the base portion 2 and the operation portion 3, and the operation portion 3 is the other of the base portion 2 and the operation portion 3. Elastic deformation claws 23 </ b> A and 23 </ b> B are provided on the side attachment portion 22, and a locking hole portion 321, a notch portion 322, and the like are provided on the other side attachment portion 32 in the operation portion 3. On the other hand, the operation unit 3 is one of the base unit 2 and the operation unit 3, and the base unit 2 is the other of the base unit 2 and the operation unit 3. A deforming claw may be provided, and a locking hole portion, a notch portion, or the like may be provided in the other side attachment portion of the base portion 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation knob 2 Base part 21 Insertion part 22 One side attachment part 23A Detachment prevention elastic deformation claw 23B Push restriction elastic deformation claw 231A, 231B Protrusion 3 Operation part 31 Main body part 32 Other side attachment part 321 Locking hole part 322 Notch part 4 Controller 41 Input section 5 Instrument panel 51 Cluster panel A Normal state B Collision state

Claims (5)

In an instrument panel of a vehicle, an operation knob that enables manual operation of an input unit in a functional component controller,
The operation knob includes a base part attached to the input part and an operation part attached to the base part.
The one side mounting portion of either the base portion or the operation portion is formed with an elastic deformation claw that is configured to be elastically deformable by providing a protrusion on the tip portion, and the base portion, the operation portion, The other side mounting portion of the other is formed with a recess or a hole where the projection is locked,
In a normal state, the projection is locked in the recess or hole, and the operation part is attached to the base part.
When a load greater than a predetermined value at the time of a vehicle collision is applied to the operation portion, the protrusion of the protrusion with respect to the recess or hole is released due to elastic deformation of the elastic deformation claw, and the operation portion is attached to the base portion. When the state is released, the operation unit is stopped at a position where the operation unit is pushed by a predetermined amount with respect to the base unit, and is changed to a collision state in which the projection amount of the operation unit with respect to the instrument panel is reduced. The operation knob for vehicles characterized by the above-mentioned.   The operation knob for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operation knob can be returned to the normal state by pulling out the operation portion from the base portion while elastically deforming the elastic deformation claw.   The operation knob for a vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation knob is a dial type operation knob for manually rotating the input unit. The functional component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the functional component is an air conditioner, and a plurality of controllers for the air conditioner are integrated side by side.
The operation knob for a vehicle is characterized in that manual operation of each input unit in the controller for the integrated air conditioner is possible. 5. The elastic deformation claw provided in the one side attachment portion according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is fitted in the recess or hole provided in the other side attachment portion in the normal state. A slip-preventing elastic deformation claw, and a pressing restriction elastic deformation claw in which the protrusion is brought into contact with an end surface of the other-side mounting portion in the normal state,
In the normal state, when the operation part is to be pulled out, the protrusion on the elastic deformation claw for preventing the removal is locked to the concave part or the hole part, and when the operation part is pushed in with a load less than a predetermined value, the push-in is performed. The protrusion in the restricting elastic deformation claw is configured to be locked to the end surface of the other side attachment portion,
In the collision state, the locking state of the protrusions in the elastic deformation claw for preventing slipping and the locking state of the protrusions in the elastic deformation claw for pushing restriction are released, so that the operation portion is located with respect to the base portion. An operation knob for a vehicle, wherein the operation knob is configured to stop at a position where the fixed amount is pressed.

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