JP2972137B2 - Armrest for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicular armrest installed in a vehicle door trim, a rear corner trim or the like which is installed in a side wall panel of a vehicle. The present invention relates to an armrest for a vehicle, which has a good shock absorbing function without any problem and has enhanced rigidity against a vertical load.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Usually, armrests are installed on car door trims, rear corner trims and the like which are installed on the side walls of vehicles, so that occupants can take a relaxed posture with their elbows. In order to enhance the safety of occupants, for example, when a relatively large impact load is applied from the side of the vehicle, such as a side collision, this armrest breaks, effectively absorbing the impact load applied to the occupant and ensuring safety. There are many specifications that enhance the performance.

For example, this conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-2208.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the armrest 1 is configured by covering the surface of an armrest core 2 made of a synthetic resin injection molded body with an armrest skin 3. The armrest core 2 is provided with a lattice-shaped portion 4 so that the armrest core 2 can be deformed or broken in response to an external force along the width direction to effectively absorb the impact.

[0004]

However, in the armrest 1 of the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 7, when an impact force acts in the vehicle width direction, the lattice-shaped portion 4 is rapidly broken to absorb the impact load. Although the configuration is such that the safety of the occupant is ensured, the upper surface of the lattice portion 4 is not flat, so that the occupant gives the occupant a feeling of irregularities, particularly when the occupant relaxes with his elbow, and provides a good surface feel. It was pointed out that it could not be secured.

[0005] Further, in the grid-like portion 4 shown in FIG.
Although good flexibility is imparted to external force in the vehicle width direction, the rigidity of the armrest core 2 with respect to a vertical load is reduced due to the configuration in which the opening is provided in the armrest core 2 and the lattice-shaped portion 4 is formed. However, the rigidity to receive the load when the occupant rests on the elbow is not secured, and it is relatively weak against torsional deformation, and the rigidity against vertical load and torsional load is weak. There was a problem that it could not be maintained throughout.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when a relatively large load is applied from the side of a vehicle such as a side collision, the touch feeling and the like are maintained while maintaining a good shock absorbing function. It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicular armrest having a good surface feel and a rigidity capable of withstanding a vertical load and a torsional load.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an armrest core made of an injection-molded article of a synthetic resin, which is coated with an armrest skin having a good touch to the interior, such as a door trim. In a vehicle armrest attached to a predetermined surface of a part, an armrest core in an armrest portion where an occupant places an armrest on the armrest and applies a vertical load is a thin portion thinned to at least half the thickness of a general portion or less. In addition to the setting, a rhombic rib is integrally formed on the rear surface of the thin portion, and the armrest core is given flexibility in response to an external force in the vehicle width direction.

Here, the armrest is installed at a predetermined position on a surface such as an automobile door trim or a rear corner trim installed on the side wall of the vehicle.

The armrest is composed of two members, an armrest core and an armrest skin. The armrest core is formed into a required shape by injection molding a relatively hard synthetic resin such as a polypropylene resin or an ABS resin. In particular, in the armrest portion where the occupant places a load on the armrest, the thickness of the armrest core in the general portion, for example, 2 mm to 2.5 mm is set to a thin portion of 0.5 mm, and the vertical load and torsion applied to the armrest are set. A rhombus-shaped rib that secures rigidity against a load and imparts flexibility to an external force in the vehicle width direction is formed on the back surface of the thin portion.

[0010] On the other hand, the armrest skin is not particularly limited in its material as long as it provides good appearance and design and good surface feel. For example, a soft PVC resin, a synthetic resin sheet, cloth, non-woven fabric, etc. Skin sheet alone or polyethylene foam on the back of the skin sheet,
A laminated sheet material lined with a foam layer such as urethane foam may be used. In particular, when using a molded article of a soft PVC resin, a spacer rib for controlling the vertical load when an elbow is placed on the back surface thereof is preferably used. May be provided.

Incidentally, in order to attach the armrest to the interior component, a clip piece provided integrally with the armrest core may be press-fitted into a mounting hole provided at a location facing the interior component, and may be downwardly fitted to the armrest core. The protruding pegs may be attached to the mounting holes of the interior component via separate clips.

As is apparent from the above configuration, the armrest for a vehicle according to the present invention has a thin armrest core particularly in an armrest portion to which a vertical load is applied when an occupant relaxes with an armrest. Since the surface of the armrest core in the portion is flat, the occupant does not feel uneven, and even if a large vertical load is applied, the vertical load can be received by the rhombus-shaped ribs.

The rhombic ribs ensure rigidity to withstand not only vertical loads but also loads that induce torsional deformation.

Further, when a relatively large load is applied from the side of the vehicle, such as a side collision, the thin-walled portion is easily bent in a curved shape without being affected by the rhombus-shaped ribs, and an external force exceeding a predetermined value is applied. At this time, the thin portion is broken, and the impact load can be effectively absorbed.

When a slit is provided in the thin portion, the flexibility can be further promoted by the slit width, and when an external force exceeding a predetermined value is applied, the armrest core is broken with the slit as a base point. It becomes possible.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle armrest according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which a vehicle armrest according to the present invention is installed on a door trim, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a door trim in which a vehicle armrest is installed, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an armrest, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a main portion of the armrest for a vehicle viewed from the back side, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment in which an armrest skin is changed, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the armrest core which shows another embodiment of this invention.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an automobile door trim 10 has an appropriate shape-retaining property and rigidity for attachment to a door inner panel, and has a resin core material 11 formed into a curved surface shape. A skin material 12 is attached to the surface and provides cushioning and decorativeness.

A substantially central portion of the surface of the door trim 10 is formed so as to protrude toward the vehicle interior, and an armrest installation portion 13 having an upper surface set to be substantially flat is formed.
The armrest 20 according to the present invention is installed on the upper surface of the armrest installation section 13.

The armrest 20 is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an armrest core 30 made of an injection-molded product of a synthetic resin such as a polypropylene resin or an ABS resin, and is integrally coated on the surface of the armrest core 30. The armrest skin 40 provides a good feel, surface feel and cushioning.

In the present embodiment, as the armrest skin 40, an injection-molded body of a soft PVC resin is used. The armrest skin 40 is set in a mold in advance by an insert injection method, and the armrest core 30 is formed. At the time of injection molding, both are integrated.

The feature of the vehicle armrest 20 according to the present invention is that when a relatively large impact load is applied from the side of the vehicle, such as a side collision, the impact load is effectively absorbed and the safety of the occupant is improved. It provides a good surface feel when the occupant rests on his elbow, and can be deformed by the vertical load or torsion load when the occupant rests on his elbow. The point is that it does not have strong rigidity.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the armrest core 30 has an armrest portion A in which the occupant places a load on the armrest 20 by placing an armrest on the armrest 20, and the thickness of the armrest core 30 is less than half that of a general portion. The thin portion 31 is set, and a rhombic rib 32 is integrally formed on the back surface of the entire thin portion 31.

The thickness of the thin portion 31 is set to 0.5 mm with respect to the thickness of the general portion of the armrest core 30 of 2 to 2.5 mm.

As described above, the configuration of the vehicle armrest 20 according to the present invention is such that the armrest core 30 is set to the thin portion 31 in the armrest portion A where the load from the occupant is likely to be applied, and the diamond-shaped rib is provided on the back surface. For example, when the occupant rests on the armrest A by resting his arm on the armrest A, the upper surface of the armrest core 30 is almost flat, so that the upper surface of the armrest core 30 does not feel unevenness unlike the related art. When a relatively large vertical load P1 is applied, sufficient rigidity to withstand the vertical load P1 is secured by the rhombus ribs 32, and a torsional load that induces torsional deformation is obtained. The rhombic ribs 32 function effectively, and no torsional deformation occurs.

Therefore, the vehicle armrest 20 according to the present invention can obtain a good surface feel when the occupant relaxes with his elbow, can obtain sufficient rigidity against the vertical load P1, and has an initial shape. It can be maintained for a long time.

Next, when a relatively large impact load is applied from the side of the vehicle, such as a side collision, the occupant's waist or the like collides with the armrest 20, and the impact load P2 in FIG. At this time, the thin portion 31 is easily bent and deformed in a curved shape, and the rhombus-shaped rib 32 does not hinder the bending deformation of the thin portion 31 at all. The thin portion 31 is easily broken by an impact greater than the value.

Therefore, in the early stage of the impact, the armrest core 3
Since the thin portion 31 of 0 is effectively bent and the thin portion 31 is broken by an impact of a predetermined value or more, the impact load P2 can be effectively absorbed, and the safety of the occupant can be effectively reduced in the event of a side collision or the like. Can be secured.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a modified embodiment of the armrest skin 40. The armrest skin 40 is made of an injection-molded product of a soft PVC resin as in the above-described embodiment.
A spacer rib 41 is integrally formed on the back surface.

In this embodiment, the armrest skin 40 is attached to the armrest core 30 by injection molding the armrest skin 40 and then integrally covering the armrest skin 40 with the armrest core 30 by manual work or the like. Although it takes a little time and effort as compared with the insert injection method described above, since the spacer ribs 41 are installed, the vertical load P1 for applying an elbow to the armrest A of the armrest 20 is provided.
On the other hand, by appropriately adjusting the length and the rib diameter of the spacer rib 40, the vertical load P1 can be effectively controlled, and there is an effect that the comfort of the occupant can be improved.

Further, as the armrest skin 40, in addition to the molded body of the soft PVC resin, a single sheet such as a PVC sheet, cloth, nonwoven fabric, or the like, or a back layer of the single sheet is lined with a foam layer such as polyethylene foam or polyurethane foam. A laminated sheet material may be used, and the specifications of the armrest skin 40 may be selected so as to enhance the contrast effect in relation to the material used for the skin material 12 of the door trim 10.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the vehicular armrest 20 according to the present invention. The same reference numerals are given to the overlapping portions, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a slit 3 is formed in the thin portion 31 of the armrest core 30 along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
It is characterized by the establishment of No.3.

That is, by opening the slit 33, for example, when an external force along the vehicle width direction is applied,
The contraction of the width of the slit 33 can absorb an external force, and the slit 33 can serve as a starting point to promote the breaking of the armrest core 30.

Therefore, by providing the slit 33, the shock absorbing function can be further enhanced.

In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle armrest 20 is installed on the door trim 10.
It is also possible to apply to the rear corner trim.

[0037]

As described above, the vehicular armrest according to the present invention has the following special effects.

(1) In the armrest for a vehicle according to the present invention, the upper surface of the armrest core in the armrest portion is flat, so that when the occupant relaxes with the armrest, the occupant can be given a feeling of unevenness as in the prior art. And has an effect that a good surface feel can be obtained.

(2) The armrest for a vehicle according to the present invention has a configuration in which the armrest core of the armrest portion is set to a thin portion and a rhombic rib is set on the back surface of the thin portion. When an impact is applied from the side of the vehicle, the thin-walled portion easily bends without being hindered by the rhombus-shaped ribs, and the thin-walled portion induces breakage by an impact of a predetermined value or more, so that the thin-walled portion extends along the vehicle width direction. This has the effect that the impact load can be effectively absorbed by the external force and the safety of the occupant can be enhanced.

(3) The armrest for a vehicle according to the present invention has a configuration in which the armrest core of the armrest portion is set to a thin portion and a rhombic rib is formed on the back surface of the thin portion. Strong rigidity can be secured against a vertical load applied to the armrest or a load that induces torsional deformation, and the effect is that the initial shape can be maintained for a long time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment in which a vehicle armrest according to the present invention is installed on a door trim.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a vehicle armrest according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an essential part perspective view of the vehicle armrest shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the back surface side.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a modified embodiment of the vehicle armrest according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an essential part perspective view showing another embodiment of the vehicular armrest according to the present invention, viewed from the back surface side.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a conventional vehicle armrest.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automobile door trim 11 Resin core material 12 Skin material 20 Vehicle armrest 30 Armrest core 31 Thin part 32 Diamond-shaped rib 33 Slit 40 Armrest skin 41 Spacer rib

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An armrest core (30) made of a synthetic resin injection-molded body coated on a surface of an armrest skin (40) having a good touch and mounted on a predetermined portion of a surface of an interior part (10) such as a door trim. The armrest core (30) in the armrest portion (A) where the occupant places an armrest on the armrest (20) to apply a vertical load (P1) is at least half or less of the thickness of the general portion. A thin rib (32) is integrally formed on the rear surface of the thin part (31), and is formed on the armrest core (30) against external force in the vehicle width direction. An armrest for a vehicle, which is provided with flexibility. 2. The vehicle armrest according to claim 1, wherein a slit (33) is formed in the thin portion (31) of the armrest core (30) along the front-rear direction of the vehicle.