JP4209365B2 - Overhead console system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an overhead console system configured by attaching a center overhead console and a side overhead console in the vicinity of a windshield of a ceiling portion of an automobile.

In recent years, various operation bodies (operation switches, operation knobs, etc.) have been arranged in the passenger compartment of automobiles in order to increase added value. It becomes difficult to arrange in the instrument panel in front of the driver's seat and passenger seat. Therefore, conventionally, an overhead console (center overhead console) is mounted above the driver's seat and passenger's seat on the ceiling of an automobile, and a plurality of operating bodies and antennas are disposed on the overhead console and installed outside the passenger compartment. There has been proposed a technique of electrically connecting a control device and the overhead console via a cable (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-208377 (page 3-5, FIG. 1)

  However, when the driver operates the operating body arranged in the center overhead console described above, it is necessary to slightly tilt the face upward on the passenger seat side, so operating during driving is from a safety standpoint. It is not preferable. Therefore, it has been studied to improve safety and operability by attaching another overhead console (side overhead console) to the front upper part of the driver's seat near the windshield on the ceiling of the car. If the cable for the side overhead console is wired on the back side of the ceiling portion in addition to the cable for the center overhead console in order to be electrically connected to the control device, there arises a problem that the wiring work becomes complicated. . In particular, this is a major problem because the side overhead console is expected to be installed as an option.

  The present invention has been made in view of the actual situation of the prior art, and the purpose thereof is to add a side overhead console to the center overhead console to improve safety and operability, and the wiring work is complicated. The object is to provide an overhead console system that does not become a problem.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the overhead console system of the present invention, a center overhead console that is attached above the driver's seat and the passenger seat at the ceiling of the automobile and is electrically connected to a control device outside the vehicle compartment, A second overhead connector provided on the side overhead console with respect to a first connector provided on the center overhead console. The side overhead console is configured to be electrically connected to the control device.

  In the overhead console system configured in this manner, the side overhead console is connected to the center overhead console by a connector, so that the side overhead console can be electrically connected to the control device outside the vehicle without wiring a dedicated cable. Connect. Therefore, even if the side overhead console is added, the wiring work is not complicated. In addition, since the side overhead console is disposed in the upper front part of the driver's seat, the driver can safely operate the side overhead console with the face facing forward even during driving.

  In the above configuration, the second connector portion on the side overhead console side may be directly connected to the first connector portion on the center overhead console side, or may be connected via an intermediate part. That is, in the former case, the second connector portion only needs to be detachable from the first connector portion. In the latter case, the apparatus further includes a connection connector having one end portion connectable to the first connector portion and the other end portion connectable to the second connector portion, and the second connector portion is connected to the first connector portion via the connection connector. What is necessary is just to connect with 1 connector part.

  Further, in the above configuration, a plurality of operating bodies are arranged on the side overhead console along the width direction of the automobile, and the second connector portion is provided at an end of the side overhead console on the center overhead console side. Is preferably provided. As a result, the driver can operate each operating body of the side overhead console only by moving one hand to the side, so that the safety and operability are further improved, and the second connector portion has a center overhead. Since it is arranged close to the console, it is easy to adopt a structure in which the first and second connector portions are directly connected, and even when a connecting connector is used, it is easy to reduce the size.

  In the overhead console system of the present invention, a side overhead console arranged at the upper front part of the driver's seat is connected to the center overhead console by a connector, so that this side overhead console can be connected to a vehicle without wiring a dedicated cable. Electrical connection with an outdoor control device can be achieved, and the driver can safely operate the side overhead console with his face facing forward even while driving. Therefore, by adding a side overhead console to the center overhead console, safety and operability can be improved, and an overhead console system that does not complicate wiring work can be provided.

  1 is an external view of an overhead console system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a structure for attaching a side overhead console and a sun visor according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the side overhead console and the connector joint, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a sun visor support mechanism of the side overhead console.

  The overhead console system shown in FIG. 1 is roughly constituted by a center overhead console 3 and a side overhead console 4 that are mounted near the upper edge of the windshield 2 at the ceiling 1 of the automobile, and is not shown. The center overhead console 3 is electrically connected to a control device outside the vehicle compartment via a cable. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the second connector portion 41 provided on the side overhead console 4 can be attached to and detached from the first connector portion 31 provided on the center overhead console 3. , 41 is directly connected, the side overhead console 4 is electrically connected to the control device via the center overhead console 3. Further, the sun visor 5 on the driver's seat side can slide along the inner surface of the windshield 2, and the sun visor 5 can be stored inside the side overhead console 4. In the figure, reference numeral 6 denotes an automobile roof panel, and 7 denotes a steering wheel.

  The center overhead console 3 is attached to the ceiling portion 1 above between the driver seat and the passenger seat, and the front edge portion of the center overhead console 3 extends to a position where it overlaps with the upper edge portion of the windshield 2. The center overhead console 3 is provided with various operation bodies (operation switches and operation knobs) 32, a mirror 33, a room lamp 34, and the like, and a circuit board 35 and a second circuit board 35 in a flat box-shaped housing 30. 1 connector section 31, a CCD camera (not shown), an antenna, and the like are provided. An opening 36 is formed in the side portion near the front end of the housing 30 toward the driver's seat side, and the first connector portion 31 is disposed in the opening 36.

  The side overhead console 4 is considerably smaller than the center overhead console 3 and is attached to the ceiling 1 at the upper front part of the driver's seat. The housing 40 of the side overhead console 4 is formed in a horizontally long shape extending along the width direction of the automobile, and a plurality of operation bodies (operation switches) are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction on the surface of the housing 40 facing the driver's seat. ) 42 is provided. In addition, a circuit board 43, a second connector portion 41, and the like are disposed inside the housing 40, and a storage space 44 for the sun visor 5 is defined on the back side of the circuit board 43. As shown in FIG. 4, the storage space 44 has an opening end 44a having a long hole on the windshield 2 side, and the storage space 44 has an X-shape that can expand and contract between the opening end 44a and the closed end 44b. A pair of sun visor supports 45, 46 connected to each other is disposed. The end portions on the closed end 44 b side of the sun visor supports 45 and 46 are respectively held rotatably by pivot pins 45 a and 46 a fixed to the housing 40. In addition, at the connection portion between the sun visor supports 45 and 46, the connection pin 45 b of one support body 45 is slidably supported in the guide hole 46 b of the other support body 46.

  Further, an opening 47 is formed in one side portion of the housing 40 of the side overhead console 4 toward the passenger seat side, and the second connector portion 41 is disposed in the opening 47. The second connector portion 41 can be attached to and detached from the first connector portion 31 of the center overhead console 3, and the second connector portion 41 is made to face each other with the openings 36 and 47 facing each other as shown in FIG. The side overhead console 4 is electrically connected to the center overhead console 3 by being inserted into the first connector portion 31, and the side overhead console 4 is electrically connected to the control device via the center overhead console 3. Connected. Further, after the first and second connector portions 31 and 41 are coupled to each other, the housings 30 and 40 are fixed using the screws 8 as shown in FIG. The console 3 is mechanically and firmly coupled.

  The sun visor 5 is formed of a plate-like body that can slide. The sun visor 5 has guide pins 51 and 52 projecting from both corners on the rear end side. These guide pins 51 and 52 are guide holes 45c on the opening end 44a side of the sun visor support bodies 45 and 46, respectively. , 46c so that the sun visor 5 can be stored in the storage space 44 of the side overhead console 4 in a retractable manner. That is, when the sun visor 5 is not used, the sun visor 5 can be stored and held in the storage space 44 by folding the sun visor supports 45 and 46 into a flat X shape. . And when a driver wants to cover the upper part of the windshield 2 with the sun visor 5 for awning, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the sun visor 5 is moved along the inner surface of the windshield 2 from the storage space 44. The X-shape of the sun visor support bodies 45 and 46 gradually becomes not flat, and the guide holes 45c and 46c approach the opening end 44a. Further, when the sun visor 5 is stored again in the storage space 44 after use, the sun visor 5 may be pushed obliquely upward along the inner surface of the windshield 2.

  As described above, in the overhead console system according to this embodiment, the second connector portion 41 of the side overhead console 4 is directly connected to the first connector portion 31 of the center overhead console 3 to electrically connect both consoles 3 and 4. Since the side overhead console 4 can be electrically connected to a control device outside the passenger compartment without wiring a dedicated cable, the system configuration is such that the side overhead console 4 is added to the center overhead console 3. However, the wiring work is not complicated. In addition, since the compact connector structure in which the first and second connector portions 31 and 41 arranged opposite to each other are directly connected is adopted, the entire system is unavoidable even if the side overhead console 4 is added. There is no worry of upsizing. Since the side overhead console 4 is disposed in the upper front part of the driver's seat, the driver can safely operate each operating body 42 of the side overhead console 4 with his face facing forward even during driving. can do. Since these operating bodies 42 are arranged in a line along the width direction of the automobile, the driver can easily operate each operating body 42 only by moving one hand sideways.

  In the overhead console system according to the present embodiment, the sun visor 5 when not in use can be stored and held in the storage space 44 provided in the side overhead console 4. Only when the sun visor 5 is used as an awning that covers the upper part, it is only necessary to pull the sun visor 5 obliquely downward and forward from the storage space 44. Therefore, regardless of the state of use of the sun visor 5, Can always be exposed to the part. That is, since each operation body 42 is not covered by the sun visor 5 when not in use, the sun visor 5 does not get in the way when the operation body 42 is operated, and a side overhead console considering safety and operability. 4 In addition, the side overhead console 4 is provided with a storage space 44 on the back side of the operation portion on which each operation body 42 is disposed, and the plate-like sun visor 5 is stored in the storage space 44 so as to be able to appear and retract. Thus, the space factor is good and the side overhead console 4 can be easily downsized.

  In the above embodiment, the first connector portion 31 of the center overhead console 3 and the second connector portion 41 of the side overhead console 4 are directly connected. However, as shown in FIG. A connecting connector 9 that can be connected to one connector portion 31 and the other end portion can be connected to the second connector portion 41 may be used. That is, in this case, the side overhead console 4 is electrically connected to the center overhead console 3 through the connection connector 9.

1 is an external view of an overhead console system according to an example embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the attachment structure of the side overhead console and sun visor in this example embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure and connector junction part of this side overhead console. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sun visor support mechanism of this side overhead console. It is sectional drawing which shows the connector junction part of the side overhead console which concerns on the other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ceiling part 2 Windshield 3 Center overhead console 4 Side overhead console 5 Sun visor 6 Roof panel 7 Steering wheel 9 Connection connector 31 1st connector part 32 Operation body 41 2nd connector part 42 Operation body 44 Storage space 45,46 Sun visor support

Claims (4)

  A center overhead console that is mounted above the driver's seat and the passenger's seat at the ceiling of the automobile and is electrically connected to a control device outside the passenger compartment, and is mounted at the upper front of the driver's seat at the ceiling. A side overhead console, and by electrically connecting a second connector provided on the side overhead console to a first connector provided on the center overhead console, the side overhead console is An overhead console system configured to be electrically connected to a control device.   2. The overhead console system according to claim 1, wherein the second connector portion is detachable from the first connector portion.   2. The connection connector according to claim 1, further comprising a connection connector having one end portion connectable to the first connector portion and the other end portion connectable to the second connector portion, wherein the second connector portion is the connection connector. An overhead console system, wherein the overhead console system is connected to the first connector portion via a connector. In the description of any one of claims 1 to 3, a plurality of operating bodies are disposed along the width direction of the automobile on the side overhead console, and the side overhead console is provided on the side of the center overhead console. An overhead console system, wherein the second connector portion is provided at an end portion.

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