JP3105348B2 - Car knee protector structure - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knee protector structure for protecting a vehicle occupant, and more particularly to a knee protector structure provided on a driver's seat side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various types of safety mechanisms such as airbags and shock-absorbing steering shafts have been proposed in automobiles to protect occupants in the event of a collision. Knee protectors for protecting occupants' knees also have safety measures. It exists as one of the measures. That is, the knee protector absorbs the impact (knee load) when the occupant's knee collides with the instrument panel when the occupant is moved forward due to a frontal collision of the car, thereby preventing the occupant from being damaged. Or, it is designed to greatly reduce.

[0003] As the knee protector, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 3-53358 (B60R21 / 045), a plate member bent in a substantially U shape is attached to an instrument panel support member. The plate member is schematically configured, and is arranged so as to correspond to the knee portion of the occupant.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional knee protector structure for an automobile, the plate member is provided as an independent member, and providing this plate member over a wide area would greatly increase the weight. Come. For this reason, the weight of the knee protector can be reduced by narrowing the point of the plate member to a position where the knee abuts and limiting the point to a narrow range. Therefore,
Depending on the collision direction, the direction in which the occupant is pushed forward becomes oblique, and the knee is easily detached from the plate member, so that the knee protector cannot function even though the knee protector is provided. was there.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a knee protector integrally with an instrument panel, thereby enabling a reduction in the number of parts and a reduction in weight, and an arrangement of the knee protector over a wide range. It is an object of the present invention to provide a knee protector structure for an automobile.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to an instrument panel in which the lower panels located on both sides of a steering shaft of an instrument panel are integrally extended in the front and rear directions of the vehicle. and juxtaposed a plurality of ribs that can be crushed in a predetermined or knee load, the vehicle front end portion of the plurality of ribs is fixed to the vehicle body plurality
The ribs are supported by a receiving member arranged at a position in front of the vehicle , and the plurality of ribs are positioned laterally in the vehicle width direction.
A vehicle body-side member that is disposed to face the side surface of the rib, the <br/> between the closest ribs aspect to the vehicle body side member of the plurality of ribs, the vehicle front-rear direction of the intermediate on the side surface of the rib
A restricting member for restricting the part from falling down is provided.

[0007] It is preferable that the receiving member is formed with a concave portion for fitting the tips of the plurality of ribs.

Further, it is desirable that the vehicle body side member is a center stay for connecting a floor panel and an instrument panel support member.

Further, the vehicle body side member may be an instrument
The instrument panel support members take the steering shaft
It is desirable that the mounting bracket be attached .

[0010]

According to the above structure, in the vehicle knee protector structure of the present invention, the vehicle front end portions of the plurality of ribs integrally extending from the back surface of the lower panel of the instrument panel are arranged at the vehicle front position. When the driver moves forward due to a frontal collision of the vehicle, the driver's knees abut against the lower panel. Crush the ribs. Accordingly, the impact applied to the knee due to the deformation force when each of the plurality of ribs is crushed is reduced,
Driver damage is prevented or significantly reduced.

By the way, since the rib is formed integrally with the lower panel which is usually formed of a synthetic resin, the number of parts can be reduced and the knee protector can be significantly reduced in weight. Therefore, even when the knee protector including the plurality of ribs is formed over a wide range in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to prevent a significant increase in weight. Therefore, the occupant can be reliably protected by the knee protector provided in a wide range.

[0012] Further, the plurality of ribs may be provided in a vehicle width direction.
That are arranged laterally and the vehicle body-side member that faces the side surface of the rib, between the side surface of the rib that is closest to the vehicle body side member of the plurality of ribs, the vehicle front and rear at the side surface of the rib
By providing a regulating member that regulates the lateral inclination of the intermediate part in the opposite direction, when the knee abuts , the lateral inclination of the intermediate part of the rib is prevented, and the rib can be reliably crushed and deformed,
The safety of the occupant can be ensured with a preset shock absorbing force.

Further, the receiving member is formed with a concave portion for fitting the tip portions of the plurality of ribs , so that the receiving member can be simplified.
With the configuration, the ribs are prevented from falling down and crushed securely
Can be deformed .

Further, the vehicle body-side member is a center stay for connecting the floor panel and the instrument panel support member, thereby ensuring reliable support of the rib.
The ribs can be prevented from falling down.

Further, the vehicle body side member may be an instrument
The instrument panel support members take the steering shaft
With mounting bracket attached, likewise the ribs
Reliable support can be secured to prevent the rib from falling down.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a knee protector 10 according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel 12 provided with the knee protector 10, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the instrument panel 12,
3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2, and FIG .
FIG . 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG .
It is a principal part perspective view of a U-shaped bracket .

That is, the instrument panel 12 on which the knee protector 10 of this embodiment is provided is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIG. 1, the upper part is a switch panel 12a on which various instruments are provided, and the lower part is not shown. The lower panel 12b covers the feet of the occupant. A console 14 is provided substantially at the center of the instrument panel 12.
The left side in the figure is the driver's seat side with respect to the console 14, and the right side in the figure is the passenger's seat side. An opening 16 for attaching a steering shaft (not shown) is formed substantially at the center of the lower panel 12b on the driver's seat side.

The instrument panel 12 is shown in FIG.
The support member 18 arranged in the vehicle width direction as shown in FIG.
The instrument panel 12 is supported on the vehicle body side via the support member 18. The center of the support member 18 is supported by a floor panel (not shown) via a center stay 20.

In this embodiment, a plurality of instrument panels 12 are provided on the back surface of each lower panel 12b located on both sides of the opening 16 in which the steering shaft is disposed in the instrument panel 12, and which are integrally directed to the front and rear of the vehicle from the lower panel 12b. Are arranged side by side. The rib 2
Are formed to have a predetermined thickness and a predetermined length, and a load when these ribs 22, 22 are crushed in the length direction is set in advance so as to be a knee load acting upon a frontal collision of the automobile. You. Are directly supported by the support member 18 as a receiving member disposed at the front position of the vehicle .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of
The ribs 22, 22,.
The center stay 20 as a side member is
The center stay 20 is disposed so as to face the side surface.
A U-shaped bracket 34 is provided as a regulating member between the center stay 20 and the side surface of the rib 22 closest to the center stay 20. The U-shaped bracket 34 has flanges 34 a, 34 a at both ends fixed to the center stay 20 by welding or the like, and a central protruding portion 34 b faces the side surface of the rib 22.

In the knee protector 10 of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the vehicle moves forward due to a head-on collision of the vehicle, the driver's knee is positioned at the instrument panel 12 at the knee position. Of the lower panel 12b . Then, the knee load during this abutment, lower <br/> ribs formed on the back surface of the panel 12b 22, 22 ... are supported
It is crushed between the holding members 18 . Thus, the knee load is absorbed when the ribs 22 are crushed in this manner, so that the impact applied to the knee can be reduced, and the damage to the driver can be prevented or significantly reduced. .

In particular, when a knee load is input to the knee protector 10, the knee protector 10 is restricted by the U-shaped bracket 34 so that the middle of the ribs 22, 22,.
The part can be prevented from falling down.

Are formed integrally with the lower panel 12b formed of a synthetic resin, so that the number of components for constituting the knee protector 10 can be reduced, and the ribs 22, 22 are formed. Are formed as a synthetic resin, the knee protector 10 can be significantly reduced in weight. Therefore, even when the knee protector 10 of this embodiment is formed over a wide range in the vehicle width direction, it is possible to prevent a significant increase in weight. For this reason, by forming the knee protector 10 wide in the vehicle width direction, even when the driver is moved in a slightly oblique direction at the time of a collision, the knee is accurately brought into contact with the knee protector 10, and the occupant can be occupied. Can be reliably protected.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show another embodiment, in which the same components as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description will be omitted. FIG. 6 is a sectional front view of a main part,
Figure 7 is sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is used in this example
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of a mounting bracket to be used .

A receiver attached to the support member 18
The support bracket 24 as a member is shown in detail in FIG.
At positions corresponding to the tips of the ribs 22, 22,.
The recesses 2 for preventing the ribs 22, 22.
6, 26... Are formed. Then, the recesses 26, 26
Are fitted to the tips of the ribs 22, 22, respectively.
These ribs 22, 22, ... are prevented from falling down
Swelling .

In this embodiment, a mounting bracket 38 as a mounting portion for mounting the steering shaft 36 to the support member 18 is provided with the plurality of ribs 22, 22.
.. Confront the side surface of the rib 22 laterally in the vehicle width direction.
And acts as the vehicle body-side member.
A restricting member 40 is provided between the mounting bracket 38 and the rib 22 adjacent thereto, and the restricting member 40 is formed integrally by bending the end of the support bracket 24 into a crank shape. Is done.

The regulating member 40 includes a support bracket 24
Is bent along the rib 22, and the tip of the bent portion comes close to the side surface of the mounting bracket 38.

Therefore, the ribs 22, 22,...
Fits into the recess 26 of the socket 24 to prevent it from falling down
The ribs 2 due to the knee load.
2,22 ... are crushed in the length direction, and this knee load
Can be reliably absorbed .

Further, in the this embodiment can be supported ribs 22, 22 via the regulating member 40 to the mounting bracket 38, whereby in particular the ribs 22, 24, 32
It is possible to prevent the middle portion of the side surface of 2...

In this embodiment, the support bracket 2
Without forming the regulating member 40 from 4, the protruding portion 4 of the regulating member from the rib 22, as shown in two-dot chain line in FIG. 6
A similar function can be exhibited by arranging 2 close to the mounting bracket 38.

[0031]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
In the knee protector of the vehicle shown in the above , the vehicle front end of a plurality of ribs integrally extending from the lower panel back surface of the instrument panel, is fixed to the vehicle body side, the plurality of
Since the ribs are supported by the receiving member arranged at the front position of the vehicle, when the driver's knee collides with the lower panel due to a frontal collision of the vehicle, the plurality of ribs are respectively crushed by knee load. The impact is reduced, and damage to the driver can be prevented or significantly reduced. By the way, since the ribs are formed integrally with the lower panel usually formed of a synthetic resin, the number of parts can be reduced and the knee protector can be significantly reduced in weight. Therefore, by reducing the weight of the knee protector, the knee protector can be formed over a wide range in the vehicle width direction, and occupant protection can be reliably performed.

Further, the plurality of ribs may be arranged in the vehicle width direction.
That are arranged laterally and the vehicle body-side member that faces the side surface of the rib, between the side surface of the rib that is closest to the vehicle body side member of the plurality of ribs, the vehicle front and rear at the side surface of the rib
Because a regulating member that regulates the side of the middle part
When the knee abuts, it is possible to prevent the intermediate portion of the rib from falling down sideways and to reliably crush and deform the rib, thereby reliably absorbing the knee load and securing the safety of the occupant.

Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, the
The receiving member has a recess for fitting the tips of the plurality of ribs.
Since the formed, with a simple configuration, to prevent collapse transverse ribs
The ribs can be reliably crushed and deformed .

Furthermore, in the third aspect of the present invention, the
The vehicle body-side member, since the center stay connecting the floor panel and the instrument panel support member, Li
The ribs can be reliably supported to prevent the ribs from falling down.

Further, in claim 4 of the present invention,
An instrument panel support member for the vehicle body side member
A mounting bracket for attaching the steering shaft
Since the similarly ribs even in the mounting bracket
Reliable support can be secured to prevent the rib from falling down.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an instrument panel to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB in FIG . 2;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a U-shaped bracket used in an embodiment of the present invention .
FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional front view of a main part showing another embodiment of the present invention.
is there.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG . 6;

FIG. 8 shows a mounting bracket used in another embodiment of the present invention .
FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Knee protector 12 Instrument panel 12b Lower panel 18 Support member 20 Center stay 22 Rib 24 Support bracket 26 Depression 34 U-shaped bracket 36 Steering shaft 38 Mounting bracket
Tsu door 40 regulating member 42 protrusion

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Sachiko Miyamae 3-1 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Inside Mazda Corporation (72) Masatoshi Takayama 3-1 Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Matsu (56) References JP-A-5-305850 (JP, A) JP-A-58-185341 (JP, A) JP-A-56-91151 (JP, U) JP-A-1-168348 (JP, A) , U) Actually open 58-194934 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60R 21/045-21/05 B60G 7/06

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of ribs extending integrally with each other and pointing to the front and rear of the vehicle and capable of being crushed by a knee load exceeding a predetermined value are provided on the back surface of each lower panel located on both sides of the steering shaft in the instrument panel. juxtaposed, the vehicle front end portion of the plurality of ribs is fixed to the vehicle body plurality
The ribs are supported by a receiving member arranged at a position in front of the vehicle , and the plurality of ribs are positioned laterally in the vehicle width direction.
A vehicle body-side member that is disposed to face the side surface of the rib, the <br/> between the closest ribs aspect to the vehicle body side member of the plurality of ribs, the vehicle front-rear direction of the intermediate on the side surface of the rib
A knee protector structure for an automobile, comprising a restricting member for restricting a portion from falling down. 2. A knee protector structure for an automobile according to claim 1 , wherein said receiving member is formed with a concave portion for fitting a tip portion of said plurality of ribs. Wherein the vehicle body-side member, automotive knee protector structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a center stay for connecting the floor panel and the instrument panel support member. 4. An instrument package as set forth in claim 1, wherein
For attaching the steering shaft to the tunnel support member
3. A bracket with attachment.
4. A knee protector structure for an automobile according to claim 1.