JP2531093Y2 - Vehicle instrument panel structure - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an instrument panel structure for an automobile, and more particularly to a structure for improving an occupant protection function in the event of a vehicle collision.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An instrument panel, which constitutes a front portion of a passenger compartment of an automobile, is provided, for example, in a front part of a driver's seat.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 69554, generally, a steering column extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is provided so as to penetrate the instrument panel. The upper hole of the through hole of the instrument panel through which the steering column penetrates is often formed by a meter hood that covers a speedometer or the like.

[0003]

In an automobile having such an instrument panel structure, a column cover that covers a steering column is provided near the rear of the vehicle body of a meter hood. The column cover has a collapse function of the steering column (that is, a function of telescopically contracting and cushioning the steering column in the axial direction when a compressive impact load in the axial direction is applied to the steering column due to a vehicle collision or the like). In this case, an attempt is made to move to the front of the vehicle body with the telescope contraction of the steering column. At this time, the column cover may interfere with the meter hood due to the relationship between the size of the column cover and the size of the through hole. If such interference occurs, the collapse function of the steering column cannot be sufficiently exhibited.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide an automobile instrument panel structure capable of sufficiently exhibiting a collapse function of a steering column at the time of a vehicle collision. It is assumed that.

[0005]

The instrument panel structure of a vehicle according to the present invention focuses on the fact that a knee of a driver in a driver's seat moves upward during a vehicle collision,
This upward movement is used to push up the meter hood, thereby expanding the through hole upward to prevent interference between the column cover and the meter hood, and to allow telescope contraction of the steering column. Thus, the object is achieved.

That is, the steering column is attached to the instrument panel so as to form a steering column extending through the instrument panel in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and an upper wall portion of a through hole of the instrument panel through which the steering column passes. And a column cover that covers the steering column near the rear of the vehicle body of the meter hood, wherein a knee of an occupant moving upward at the time of a vehicle collision is provided below the meter hood. A push-up portion that pushes up the meter hood by receiving the portion and expands the through hole upward.

[0007]

As shown in the above configuration, the meter hood is pushed up by the lower part of the meter hood, receiving the knee portion of the occupant moving upward in the event of a vehicle collision, thereby expanding the through hole of the instrument panel upward. Even if the steering column is telescoped due to a vehicle collision and the column cover moves forward, the through-hole is expanded upward, so the column cover is attached to the meter hood. There is no possibility of interference, and the telescopic contraction action of the steering column is not hindered.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the collapse function of the steering column at the time of a vehicle collision can be sufficiently exhibited, thereby improving the occupant protection function.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing one embodiment of an instrument panel structure of an automobile according to the present invention.

A steering column 14 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is provided in front of a driver's seat of an instrument panel 12 constituting a front portion of the vehicle cabin 10.
Is provided so as to penetrate through. The through hole 16 through which the steering column 14 passes has a lower wall formed by a lower cover 18 of the instrument panel 12, and an upper wall and left and right side walls formed by a meter hood 20. The steering column 14 has a large diameter portion 14a.
The large-diameter portion 14a and the small-diameter portion 14b are telescopically contracted by an axial compressive impact load. A column cover 22 that covers the steering column 14 is provided in a portion of the large diameter portion 14a of the steering column 14 near the rear of the vehicle body of the meter hood 20. Further, a steering wheel 26 having an airbag device 24 is attached to the column cover 22 of the steering column 14 on the rear side of the vehicle body.

FIG. 2 is a perspective assembly view of the present embodiment.

As shown, the instrument panel 12
The lower panel 18 is fixed to the instrument panel main body by screws, and the meter hood 20 is attached to the instrument panel 12 via the meter panel 28. A pair of push-up portions 30 are integrally provided below the meter hood 20 so as to be located on both left and right sides of the column cover 22.

As shown in FIG. 1, these push-up portions 30
It is provided so as to be positioned obliquely above and in front of a pair of knees of an occupant in the driver's seat, and receives a knee of an occupant moving upward in the event of a vehicle collision, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. The hood 20 is pushed up to expand the through hole 16 upward. Each push-up portion 30 is formed in an arc shape so as to easily receive the knee.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In FIG. 1, when a vehicle collision occurs, the occupant in the driver's seat moves backward due to the retreat of the dash lower panel (not shown) and the hip moves forward. Move upward like. This upward movement causes the knee to abut against the push-up section 30 and the push-up section 30
Pushes the meter hood 20 upward. Thereby, the through hole 16 is expanded upward.

On the other hand, at the time of a vehicle collision, the airbag device 24 is operated, and the airbag 32 is deployed as shown by a dashed line in the drawing to cushion the occupant's upper body.
When the reaction force acting on the steering column 32 exceeds a predetermined value, the collapse function of the steering column 14 is activated, and the steering column
The telescope 14 is telescope contracted when its large diameter portion 14a relatively moves forward with respect to the small diameter portion 14b. At this time, the column cover 22 also moves forward together with the large diameter portion 14a.

If the through hole 16 does not expand upward, the column cover 22 is moved forward to move the column cover 22 forward.
Although the interference between the meter hood 22 and the meter hood 20 occurs, in the present embodiment, the meter hood 20 is pushed up through the push-up portion 30 by the upward movement of the knee, and the through hole 16 is already expanded upward. Therefore, interference between the column cover 22 and the meter hood 20 due to the forward movement of the column cover 22 can be prevented. In the event of a vehicle collision, the transmission of the airbag reaction force from the upper body of the occupant to the steering column 14 is performed later than the upward movement of the occupant's knee, so that the above interference prevention function is reliably performed. Becomes

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the column cover 22 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the column cover 22
Is composed of an upper cover 22A and a lower cover 22B. A pin 32 projecting downward is formed on the upper cover 22A, and a boss 34 with a slit engaging with the pin 32 is formed on the lower cover 22B. For the boss with slit 34,
As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the pin engagement hole 34a and the pin engagement hole
A pair of slits 34b extending from both sides of the steering column 14 in the axial direction of the steering column 14 are formed. in this way,
By assembling the upper cover 22A and the lower cover 22B by engaging the pins 32 and the bosses 34 with slits, when the column cover 22 moves forward during a vehicle collision, the lower cover 22B and the lower cover 18 of the instrument panel 12 are brought into contact with each other. By the contact action, the lower cover 22B can be opened downward along the lower cover 18, whereby the telescopic contraction of the steering column 14 can be performed more smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of an automobile instrument panel structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the column cover of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Instrument panel 14 Steering column 16 Through hole 18 Lower cover 20 Meter hood 22 Column cover 30 Push-up section

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A steering column extending through the instrument panel in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and attached to the instrument panel so as to form an upper wall portion of a through hole of the instrument panel through which the steering column passes. And a column cover that covers the steering column near the rear of the vehicle body of the meter hood, wherein a knee of an occupant moving upward at the time of a vehicle collision is provided below the meter hood. And a push-up portion that pushes up the meter hood by receiving the portion and expands the through hole upward.