JP3698475B2 - Meter hood mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a meter hood mounting structure for an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, an instrument panel body of an automobile is provided with an opening for inserting a meter hood, and the meter hood is inserted and attached to the opening from the front side of the instrument panel body. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-83456 discloses a meter hood mounting structure in which a meter hood is coupled to an upper edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel main body by a screw member. The structure is basically as shown in FIG. 4, in which a is an instrument panel body, b is an upper part of a meter hood inserted into an opening of the instrument panel body a, The upper part b of the meter hood is connected to the upper edge part of the opening of the instrument panel main body a by a spring nut c and a screw d.
[0003]
Similarly, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-131322 discloses an automobile meter hood in which a meter hood portion is integrally connected to an opening of a resin instrument panel body through a thin hinge. . When the meter hood has a recess that undercuts in the direction of the instrument panel main body, the meter hood is bent with respect to the instrument panel so that the recess does not undercut. Then, the meter hood is returned to the normal position so that the recess is undercut. That is, the thin hinge is employed to improve the moldability by forming the meter hood portion in a positional relationship different from the normal position with respect to the instrument panel body.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, when the meter hood is fixed to the instrument panel body with the screw member, it is necessary to use many screw members to increase the mounting stability of the meter hood, and the number of parts is large. At the same time, it takes time to assemble the meter hood. On the other hand, when the meter hood is integrally connected to the instrument panel body with a thin hinge, the number of parts itself is reduced, but the shape of the meter hood that can be connected to the instrument panel body with a thin hinge is its shape. Will be limited.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In view of this point, the present inventor integrally connects the engaging tongue to the instrument panel main body with a thin hinge, engages the meter tongue with the engaging tongue, and rotates the engaging tongue using the thin hinge. Thus, the meter hood can be positioned and held so as not to move, and an expected effect such as a reduction in the number of parts can be obtained.
[0006]
That is, in the invention according to claim 1, an opening for inserting a meter hood is provided in a resin instrument panel body of an automobile, and the instrument hood is inserted into the opening from the front side of the instrument panel body. In the meter hood mounting structure attached to the main body,
An engagement tongue having an engagement port at the upper edge of the opening in the instrument panel body hangs down from the upper edge when the meter hood is not inserted into the opening, and the meter hood is inserted. While being connected to the meter hood so that it can be swung up and down via a thin hinge so that it is pushed to the inside of the instrument panel main body by being pushed by the meter hood,
On the back surface of the meter hood, the engagement tongue is inserted from the front side of the instrument panel main body with respect to the engagement port when the engagement tongue is in a state of hanging from the upper edge of the opening. An engagement protrusion that is engaged with the engagement tongue so as not to be able to be inserted and removed is integrally formed in the engagement port when the rotation is raised.
[0007]
The invention according to claim 2 is the meter hood mounting structure according to claim 1,
The meter hood includes an upper edge portion that extends upward from a portion where the engagement protrusion is provided so as to cover a portion where the thin hinge of the instrument panel body is provided from the front side. It is characterized by being.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 3 is the meter hood mounting structure according to claim 1,
The engaging projection is inserted from the front side of the instrument panel main body with respect to the engaging port of the engaging tongue, and comes into contact with the inner surface of the engaging tongue when the engaging tongue rotates and rises. Has a tip,
On the back surface of the meter hood, there is a contact rib that abuts the outer surface of the engaging tongue when the engaging tongue is in a rotationally raised state and clamps the engaging tongue together with the tip of the engaging protrusion. It is formed integrally.
[0009]
(Function)
In the invention according to claim 1, before the meter hood is inserted into the opening of the instrument panel main body, the engaging tongue hangs down from the upper edge of the opening of the instrument panel main body via the thin hinge, It is allowed to easily insert the engaging projection of the meter hood into the engaging opening of the engaging tongue from the front side of the instrument panel main body.
[0010]
When the meter hood is inserted into the opening while the engagement protrusion is inserted into the engagement opening of the engagement tongue and the engagement tongue is pushed, the engagement tongue rotates and rises to the inside of the instrument panel body. However, the direction of the engagement port changes so as to face downward. For this reason, the engaging projection of the meter hood engages with the engaging tongue so that it cannot be inserted and removed at the engaging port. As a result, the meter hood is positioned so as not to move with respect to the upper edge of the opening of the instrument panel main body, and the screw connection between the upper edge of the instrument panel main body and the meter hood becomes unnecessary. .
[0011]
Assuming that the engaging tongue does not rotate and rise, in order to engage the engaging protrusion of the meter hood with the engaging tongue so that it cannot be inserted and removed, for example, the engaging protrusion is formed in a hook shape. It is necessary to take a configuration such as rotating the hood side. However, it is necessary to enlarge the opening of the instrument panel main body so that the meter hood can be rotated, which is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of effective use of space. In the present invention, since the engaging tongue is rotated instead, it is not necessary to rotate the meter hood side for the non-removable engagement between the engaging tongue and the engaging protrusion. It is also advantageous in terms of space.
[0012]
In order to fix the meter hood to the instrument panel body, the other portion of the meter hood where the engagement protrusion is not provided, or two or more places as necessary are screw members or other coupling means. To the instrument panel main body, and the meter hood is completely fixed to the instrument panel main body by this connection and the engagement of the engaging tongue / engagement protrusion. As described above, since the engagement between the engaging tongue and the engaging protrusion effectively contributes to fixing the meter hood, the necessary number of coupling means such as a screw member, and hence the number of parts can be reduced.
[0013]
In the invention which concerns on the said Claim 2, the site | part in which the thin hinge of the said instrument panel main body is provided is covered with the upper edge part of the said meter hood, and becomes invisible.
[0014]
In the invention according to claim 3, when the meter hood is inserted into the opening of the instrument panel body and the engaging tongue is in a state of being rotated up, the engaging tongue is in contact with the engaging protrusion of the meter hood. Since it is in a state of being held between the contact ribs, it is possible to prevent rattling due to the vibration of the automobile.
[0015]
【The invention's effect】
Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the engagement tongue having the engagement port is integrally connected to the upper edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel main body by the thin-walled hinge so as to be vertically swingable, while the back surface of the meter hood The engagement tongue is integrally provided with the engagement tongue at the engagement opening, and the engagement protrusion is inserted into the engagement opening to push up the engagement tongue. Since the number of parts can be reduced without impairing the mounting stability of the meter hood and the mounting of the meter hood can be simplified, the cost can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to obtain a special effect that it is advantageous in terms of effective use of space.
[0016]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the meter hood mounting structure according to the first aspect, the meter hood covers a portion of the instrument panel body where the thin hinge is provided from the front side. Moreover, since the upper edge part extended upwards rather than the site | part in which the said engagement protrusion is provided is provided, it can be made easy to hide the said thin hinge part of an instrument panel main body, and to improve appearance.
[0017]
According to the invention of claim 3, in the meter hood mounting structure described in claim 1, when the engaging tongue is rotated and raised, it is held between the engaging protrusion and the abutment rib. Therefore, rattling of the engaging tongue due to the vibration of the automobile is prevented.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
<Overall configuration of automotive instrument panel>
In the instrument panel 1 of the automobile shown in FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes an instrument panel body. A meter hood 3 is provided on the front face facing the driver's seat, and the center and both ends of the face, and the upper face are provided. Air blowout holes 4 for air conditioning are formed. Each of the instrument panel main body 2 and the meter hood 3 is formed of a synthetic resin.
[0019]
<Meter hood mounting structure>
In FIG. 2, 5 is an opening for inserting a meter hood formed in the instrument panel main body 2, 6 is a meter main body into which various instruments are incorporated, and 7 is a steering column.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, an engagement tongue 8 protruding downward is provided on the upper edge 2 a forming the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2, and the engagement tongue 8 has a rectangular shape. An engagement port 9 is established. The engaging tongue 8 is in a state of hanging from the upper edge portion 2a when the meter hood 3 is not inserted into the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2 (the state shown on the right side in FIG. 2). The upper edge of the instrument panel main body 2 is pushed by the meter hood 3 and inserted into the instrument panel main body 2 so as to rotate upward (the state on the left side in FIG. 2). 2a is integrally connected to be swingable up and down via a thin hinge 11 extending in the left-right direction.
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows one engaging tongue 8, but a plurality of engaging tongues 8 are provided on the upper edge portion 2a at intervals in the left-right direction. Further, a step portion 12 is formed on the upper edge portion 2 a of the instrument panel body 2 so as to extend in the left-right direction along the opening 5 above the thin hinge 11.
[0022]
A plurality of screw holes opened on the front side of the instrument panel for connecting the meter hood 3 are spaced apart in the left-right direction at the lower edge 2b forming the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2. Formed.
[0023]
On the other hand, an engagement projection 15 corresponding to the engagement port 9 of the engagement tongue 8 is provided on the back surface of the upper wall of the meter hood 3 as shown in FIG. The engaging protrusion 15 is formed in a hook shape that protrudes obliquely forward (front of the vehicle body) from the upper rear surface of the meter hood 3 and is bent so that the tip portion is slightly inclined downward. The meter hood 3 includes an upper edge portion 3 a that extends further upward than a portion from which the engagement protrusion 15 protrudes and is bent forward so as to be applied to the step portion 12 of the instrument panel main body 2. Further, on the back surface of the upper edge portion 3a of the meter hood 3, an abutment rib 16 is integrally formed to push up the engaging tongue 8 and prevent the rattling.
[0024]
The meter hood 3 includes a lower edge portion 3b extending downward from the front end of the lower wall and further offset downward and extending downward. The lower edge portion 3b is a lower edge portion of the instrument panel main body 2. The screw member 17 is connected to 2b. Also, a vertical hole 18 is formed in the offset portion of the lower edge portion 3b of the meter hood 3, and a flexible blind 19 inserted above the hole 18 is formed on the back surface of the lower edge portion 3b. Are combined.
[0025]
<Attaching the meter hood>
Before the meter hood 3 is inserted into the opening 5 of the instrument panel main body 2, as shown on the right side of FIG. 2, the engaging tongue 8 is in a state of hanging from the upper edge 2a of the instrument panel main body 2, The engagement port 9 of the engagement tongue 8 faces obliquely downward so as to allow the engagement protrusion 15 of the meter hood 3 to be inserted from the front side of the instrument panel.
[0026]
In this state, if the meter hood 3 is inserted into the opening 5 of the instrument panel main body 2 and slightly lifted as necessary while the engaging protrusion 15 is inserted into the engaging port 9 of the engaging tongue 8, the engagement The tongue 8 is pushed up by the abutment rib 16 of the meter hood 3, and as shown on the left side of FIG. 2, the engagement port 9 of the engagement tongue 8 changes almost to the downward direction. As a result, the tip of the engagement protrusion 15 comes into contact with the inner surface of the engagement tongue 8 and the abutment rib 16 comes into contact with the outer surface of the engagement tongue 8. 9 cannot be inserted and removed in the horizontal direction, and the engaging tongue 8 is sandwiched between the engaging protrusion 15 and the abutting rib 16. Further, the thin hinge 11 of the instrument panel main body 2 is covered with the upper edge 3a of the meter hood 3 from the front side of the instrument panel.
[0027]
Thereafter, the lower edge 3b of the meter hood 3 is coupled to the lower edge 2b of the instrument panel main body 2 by the screw member 17.
[0028]
Accordingly, since the meter hood 3 has a non-removable engagement between the engagement protrusion 15 and the engagement tongue 8, the instrument panel main body 2 can be connected only by screw connection of the lower edge 3b of the meter hood 3. It will be in the state fixed firmly to. Further, since the engaging tongue 8 is sandwiched between the engaging protrusion 15 and the abutting rib 16, it does not rattle due to the vibration of the automobile.
[0029]
In the case of the above-described embodiment, there are a plurality of engaging portions formed by the engaging tongue 8 and the engaging protrusion 11, which are spaced in the left-right direction along the upper edge portion of the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2. Therefore, the load received by each engaging tongue 8 from the meter hood 3 or each connecting portion of the upper edge 2a of the instrument panel main body to which these engaging tongues 8 are connected is the meter hood 3. The load received from is reduced. For this reason, the bending deformation of the engaging tongue 8 or the instrument panel main body upper edge 2a is reduced, and the attachment and detachment of the meter hood 3 are facilitated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel of an automobile.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a mounting structure of a meter hood and a state of an engaging tongue and an engaging protrusion before the meter hood is mounted.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an engaging tongue of an instrument panel main body.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car instrument panel 2 Instrument panel main body 2a Upper edge 2b Lower edge 3 Meter hood 3a Upper edge 3b Lower edge 5 Meter hood insertion opening 6 Meter main body 8 Engaging tongue 9 Engaging port 11 Thin hinge 15 Engagement protrusion 16 Abutment rib 17 Screw member (coupling means)

Claims (3)

In the meter hood mounting structure in which an opening for inserting a meter hood is provided in a resin instrument panel body of an automobile, and the meter hood is inserted into the opening from the front side of the instrument panel body and attached to the instrument panel body.
An engagement tongue having an engagement port at the upper edge of the opening in the instrument panel body hangs down from the upper edge when the meter hood is not inserted into the opening, and the meter hood is inserted. While being connected to the meter hood so that it can be swung up and down via a thin hinge so that it is pushed to the inside of the instrument panel main body by being pushed by the meter hood,
On the back surface of the meter hood, the engagement tongue is inserted from the front side of the instrument panel main body with respect to the engagement port when the engagement tongue is in a state of hanging from the upper edge of the opening. A meter hood mounting structure, wherein an engaging protrusion is formed integrally with the engaging tongue so as not to be able to be inserted and removed at the engaging port when it is in a state of rotating and rising. In the meter hood mounting structure according to claim 1,
The meter hood includes an upper edge portion that extends upward from a portion where the engagement protrusion is provided so as to cover a portion where the thin hinge of the instrument panel body is provided from the front side. Meter hood mounting structure characterized by In the meter hood mounting structure according to claim 1,
The engaging projection is inserted from the front side of the instrument panel main body with respect to the engaging port of the engaging tongue, and comes into contact with the inner surface of the engaging tongue when the engaging tongue rotates and rises. Has a tip,
On the back surface of the meter hood, there is a contact rib that abuts the outer surface of the engaging tongue when the engaging tongue is in a rotationally raised state and clamps the engaging tongue together with the tip of the engaging protrusion. A meter hood mounting structure characterized by being integrally formed.

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