JP4617948B2 - Car armrest - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an armrest that includes a core material and a covering that covers the core material and is provided so as to protrude into an automobile interior.

  In the automobile compartment, an armrest made of a core material and a covering for covering the core material is provided, for example, protruding from a door trim. This armrest can hold the occupant's body stably by placing an elbow on the upper surface, and a resin or metal core material to ensure strength, and a covering material to enhance the tactile sensation And is formed from.

  By the way, in recent years, in order to protect a human body when an impact is applied to a vehicle, an impact absorbing function is imparted to an interior part. The armrest is no exception. When an excessive load is applied, the core material must be deformed to absorb the impact. As the simplest countermeasure, there is a method of reducing the rigidity by forming a through hole in the core material. However, in the case of an armrest manufactured by insert foam molding in which the core material is placed in the mold and the covering is foam-molded from urethane, in order to prevent the urethane foam resin from leaking from the through-holes, it is necessary to apply tape There is a problem that man-hours are large and expensive.

  Therefore, there are several proposals as a technique for improving the shock absorbing ability without providing a through hole. For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 07-015416 proposes an armrest in which a V groove is formed in a core material and a protrusion for concentrating an impact load is formed in the V groove. According to this armrest, when an excessive load is applied from the side such as a side collision, the core material buckles at the V-groove, so that an impact can be absorbed and a human body can be protected.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-240277 proposes an armrest in which a corrugated portion is formed on a core material. According to this armrest, when an excessive load is applied from the side, the corrugated portion bends along the vehicle width direction, so that an impact can be absorbed and a human body can be protected. In addition, since the corrugated portion can keep the wall thickness constant, it is possible to secure rigidity capable of withstanding a load such as when an elbow is applied.

Furthermore, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-291827, a bending starting point portion that induces bending of the upper surface portion against an excessive load from the side, and one end portion of the upper surface portion when the bending starting point portion is bent. There has been proposed an armrest having a movement promoting means for urging upward movement. According to this armrest, when an excessive load is applied from the side, the upper surface portion bends and moves upward, so that the amount of protrusion into the vehicle compartment can be greatly reduced until it becomes almost flat, and the shock absorbing performance is excellent. .
Actual Kaihei 07-015416 JP 09-240277 A JP 2004-291827

  However, when the V-groove is formed in the core material, the rigidity with respect to the load from the occupant applied to the upper surface during normal times is also reduced, so that a device for forming ribs or the like is required again. Further, when the corrugated portion is formed, the volume of the core material is increased in the corrugated portion, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of weight reduction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has sufficient rigidity with respect to a load from a normal human body and easily deforms and impacts when an excessive load is applied from the side. It is a problem to be solved that it is possible to absorb water and to be lightweight and inexpensive.

  A feature of the armrest of the present invention that solves the above-described problem is an armrest that includes a core material and a covering that covers the core material, and is provided to protrude into the automobile interior. The core material includes at least an upper member and a lower member The upper and lower members of the upper member and the lower member are connected to each other in the overlapping direction in the vertical direction at the overlapping portion that is thin in the direction intersecting the vertical direction, and the lower surface and the lower member of the upper member that are continuous with the overlapping portion The upper surface of the overlapping portion is substantially flush with the overlapping portion or intersects each other, and the overlapping portion can be subjected to shear deformation when excessive stress is applied to the core material in the direction intersecting the vertical direction. It is in.

  The overlapping portion is preferably formed in at least the horizontal portion of the core material. Moreover, it is preferable that at least one of the upper member and the lower member has a bulging portion that bulges laterally from the overlapping portion.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the bulging portion is overhanging close to the upper member or the lower member, and when the covering has a foam formed integrally with the core member, at least one of the upper member and the lower member It is desirable to have a circular arc surface that smoothly continues toward the overlapping portion.

  In the armrest of the present invention, the upper member and the lower member are overlapped and connected to each other in the vertical direction at the overlapping portion, so that the load applied from the upper direction is transmitted from the upper member to the lower member via the overlapping portion. Therefore, when both the upper member and the lower member are plate-shaped, the load is received by the two-plate as compared with the case of the conventional single-plate core material, so the rigidity is improved compared to the conventional one. However, it can sufficiently withstand the load from the human body. On the other hand, the lower surface of the upper member continuous with the overlapping portion and the upper surface of the lower member are substantially on the same plane at the overlapping portion or cross each other. Therefore, when an excessive load is applied from the side, such as in a side collision, that is, when an excessive load is applied in the direction intersecting the vertical direction, the overlapped portion that is thin in the direction intersecting the vertical direction undergoes shear deformation. The impact is absorbed by the movement of the lower member or the upper member.

  That is, according to the armrest of the present invention, it has sufficient rigidity with respect to the load from above by the human body, and can easily be deformed and absorb the impact when an excessive load is applied from the side to protect the human body. can do. Further, since the superposed portion is thin, it becomes a light core material, and furthermore, the core material can be easily manufactured by only one molding, so that it becomes inexpensive.

  And if the overlapping part is formed at least in the horizontal part of the core material, even if a lateral load is applied to the side surface of the horizontal part, the horizontal part buckles without stretching, so that it can absorb the impact reliably, Since the amount of movement of the upper member or the lower member due to the shear deformation of the overlapping portion is large, the shock absorbing ability is further improved. In addition, if a bulging portion that bulges from the overlapping portion to the side is formed on at least one of the upper member and the lower member, the flowability of the resin during molding of the resin core material is improved, so that problems such as lacking of the thickness are caused. This can be avoided and the overlapping portion can be made thinner, so that the degree of freedom in designing the overlapping portion is improved.

  Moreover, if the bulging part is formed in the overlapping part of the horizontal part of the core material and the overhanging part close to the upper member or the lower member is formed in the bulging part, the load from above by the human body is the upper member or the lower member. And the overhang portion, the rigidity against the load from above by the human body is improved.

  Furthermore, in the case where the covering has a foam integrally formed with the core material, if an arc surface smoothly continuous toward the overlapped portion is formed on at least one of the upper member and the lower member, the foam rapidly changes. Since the thickness does not change, problems such as sink marks can be prevented.

  The armrest for automobiles of the present invention is composed of a core material and a covering that covers the core material. The core material is formed of a rigid body such as hard resin or metal. Further, the covering is not particularly limited, and enhances the appearance quality and the tactile sensation. Although the surface of the core material may be simply covered with a skin formed of a soft resin or the like, it is desirable to dispose a thicker cushion layer below the skin. This cushion layer further improves the tactile sensation, and further improves the design because the surface shape of the core material can be hidden.

  As the cushion layer, fiber aggregates such as felt, resin foams, etc. can be used, but foamed urethane or the like can be used to integrally form the cushion layer by placing a preformed core material in the mold. desirable. Thereby, the joining process of a cushion layer and a core material can be omitted. Further, if the skin is disposed in the mold together with the core material and the cushion layer is integrally formed, the joining process of the skin can be omitted. And since a through-hole etc. can be made unnecessary in a core material, the malfunction of foaming resin leakage can be avoided, and since a rib etc. are also unnecessary, it becomes an inexpensive armrest.

  The core material that constitutes the greatest feature of the present invention has at least an upper member and a lower member, and the end portions of the upper member and the lower member are thinned in a direction crossing the vertical direction, and are overlapped with each other in the vertical direction. The lower surface of the upper member connected to overlap and the upper surface of the upper member and the upper surface of the lower member are substantially on the same plane at the overlapping portion or intersect each other and are excessive in the direction intersecting the vertical direction with respect to the core material. When an excessive stress is applied, the overlapping portion can be sheared.

  The thickness of the overlapped part is a thickness that allows the load applied in the vertical direction from the human body to be transmitted from the upper member to the lower member, and is capable of shear deformation when excessive stress is applied in the direction intersecting the vertical direction. It is determined according to the material of the core material. In the case of a resin core, it is preferable to make it as thin as possible with a thickness of 0.1 mm or more in consideration of resin flowability at the time of molding. If the thickness of the polymerized portion becomes too thick, shear deformation becomes difficult and the shock absorbing ability cannot be obtained. Therefore, the thickness of the polymerized portion in the resin core is preferably 1 mm or less.

  The overlapping portion is desirably formed at least in the horizontal portion of the core material. If it is formed in the horizontal part, even if a lateral load is applied to the side of the horizontal part, the horizontal part buckles without stretching, so it can absorb the impact reliably and the upper member by shear deformation of the overlapping part Alternatively, since the amount of movement of the lower member can be ensured, the shock absorption capacity is further improved. Although the superposition | polymerization part may be only one place, forming in multiple places of a core material is desirable. Even if it is formed not only in the horizontal part but also in the vertical part and the inclined part, it can receive the load from above by the human body. Ability can also be expressed. In addition, the horizontal part here corresponds mainly to the elbow rest part of an armrest, and does not need to be exactly horizontal.

  It is also preferable to form a bulging portion that bulges laterally from the overlapping portion on at least one of the upper member and the lower member in the overlapping portion. In this way, the flowability of the resin during molding of the resin core material is improved, so it is possible to avoid defects such as lack of thickness, and it is possible to further reduce the thickness of the overlapping portion. The degree of freedom is improved.

  Moreover, it is also preferable to form a bulging part in the overlapping part of the horizontal part of the core, and to make the bulging part an overhang part close to the upper member or the lower member. In this way, since the load from above by the human body can be received by the upper member or the lower member and the overhang portion, the rigidity against the load from above by the human body is improved while maintaining the shock absorption capability. Can be made.

  Further, in the case where the covering has a foam integrally formed with the core material, it is also preferable to form an arc surface that is smoothly continuous toward the overlapping portion on at least one of the upper member and the lower member. In this way, since the rapid change in the thickness of the foam is prevented, the fluidity of the foamed resin is improved, and defects such as sink marks can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples.

Example 1
FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which the armrest of the present embodiment is partially broken, and FIG. 2 and FIG. This armrest is made of a hard resin and has a substantially V-shaped cross section, a foamed urethane layer 2 coated on the outer peripheral surface of the core material 1, and a soft resin skin coated on the surface of the foamed urethane layer 2. The urethane foam layer 2 is integrally joined to the core material 1, and the skin layer 3 is integrally joined to the urethane foam layer 2.

  In this armrest, the core material 1 formed in advance by injection molding and the skin layer 3 shaped in advance by vacuum molding are respectively arranged on the mold surface of the foam molding die, and the urethane foam layer 2 is foam molded in that state. It is manufactured by.

  The core material 1 is formed in a substantially V-shaped cross section in which a plurality of plate-like portions are connected at the ends, and the interval gradually decreases from the opening 10 toward the bottom 11, and the opening 10 has a flange bent outward. Part 12 is formed. The armrest is fixed to the door trim by fixing the flange portion 12 to the door trim panel by a locking means such as a screw or clip (not shown).

  In the connection structure between the plate-like parts of the core 1, the connection structure (part A) formed in the horizontal part is enlarged and shown in FIG. 2. This connecting structure is composed of an upper member 13 and a lower member 14, and the end portions of the connecting members are connected to each other in the vertical direction by overlapping portions 15 formed in a thin wall of d = 0.5 mm in a direction crossing the vertical direction. The lower surface 13 ′ of the upper member 13 and the upper surface 14 ′ of the lower member 14 that are continuous with the overlapping portion 15 are located on the same plane. The connection structure of the other plate-like portions in the horizontal portion is the same.

  Therefore, the load when the occupant puts his elbow on the armrest acts on the upper surface of the upper member 13 as shown by the arrow V in FIG. 2, and part of the stress is transmitted to the lower member 14 via the overlapping portion 15, It is transmitted to the bottom portion 11 through a plurality of plate-like portions connected to the bottom portion 11 side, and is transmitted to the opening portion 10 side again from the bottom portion 11 and is received by a locking means for fixing the flange portion 12. Part of the stress is transmitted to the plate-like portion connected to the opening 10 side of the upper member 13, and is received by the panel of the door trim via the locking means for fixing the flange portion 12. Therefore, the load which acts on the upper surface of the core material 1 from the human body is reliably received by the panel of the door trim, and the core material 1 has sufficient resistance.

  On the other hand, when a large load is applied from the side of the vehicle body due to a side collision and a large impact is applied to the bottom 11 side from the human body, a load is applied to the core 1 on the bottom side, and the load is applied to the lower member 14. It is transmitted as shown by the arrow H. Then, a shearing stress is generated between the lower member 14 and the upper member 13, the thin overlapping portion 15 is broken or deformed, and the lower member 14 moves to the opening 10 side. Since there is nothing that obstructs the movement of the lower member 14 on the side of the opening 10 from the lower member 14, the movement of the lower member 14 is not restricted and the movement distance can be greatly increased. As a result, the impact energy is absorbed and the force applied to the human body from the armrest is greatly reduced, so that the human body can be protected.

  Moreover, in the connection structure of each plate-shaped part of the core material 1, the connection structure (B part) currently formed in the inclination part is expanded and shown in FIG. In the connection structure shown in FIG. 2, the lower surface of the upper member 13 continuing to the overlapping portion 15 and the upper surface of the lower member 14 are located on the same plane. The lower surface 13 ′ of the upper member 13 and the upper surface 14 ′ of the lower member 14 intersect each other at the overlapping portion 15.

  In this connection structure, the load when the occupant puts his elbow on the armrest does not directly act, but is transmitted through each plate-like portion and received by the panel of the door trim as described above. When a load from the side indicated by the arrow H is transmitted to the upper member 13, a shear stress is generated between the upper member 13 and the lower member 14, and the thin overlapping portion 15 is broken or deformed, so that the upper member 13 is Move to the opening 10 side. Since there is nothing that obstructs the movement of the upper member 13 on the side of the opening 10 from the upper member 13, the movement of the upper member 13 is not restricted and the movement distance can be greatly increased. As a result, the impact energy is absorbed and the force applied to the human body from the armrest is greatly reduced, so that the human body can be protected.

  Therefore, according to the armrest of this embodiment, sufficient rigidity is provided for the load V from the human body during normal use, and the overlapping portion is sheared or deformed by the impact load H from the side. The impact can be absorbed by the movement of the lower member 14. In addition, since the core material 1 has no through-holes penetrating inside and outside, resin leakage during molding of the urethane foam layer can be avoided, and there is no rib, so the core material 1 can be easily formed by one injection molding. Can be manufactured. Therefore, it becomes an inexpensive armrest.

(Example 2)
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part of the core material 1 used in this embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, illustration is omitted.

  In this core material 1, a bulging portion 16 that bulges toward the lower member 14 is formed on the distal end surface of the upper member 13 that continues to the overlapping portion 15, and the upper end surface of the lower member 14 that continues to the overlapping portion 15 A bulging portion 16 that bulges toward the member 13 is formed. By forming such a bulging portion 16, the flowability of the resin at the time of molding the core material 1 is improved, so that problems such as lack of thickness can be avoided, and the overlapping portion 15 can be made thinner. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the overlapping portion 15 is improved.

(Example 3)
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part of the core material 1 used in this embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, illustration is omitted.

  In the core material 1, an overhang portion 17 that bulges toward the lower member 14 side and is close to the lower member 14 is formed on the distal end surface of the upper member 13 that continues to the overlapping portion 15. According to this armrest, since the load V from above by the human body can be received by the two pieces of the overhang part 17 and the lower member 14, the upper part by the human body while maintaining the same shock absorption capability as in the first embodiment. The rigidity with respect to the load from can be improved.

Example 4
FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part of the core material 1 used in this embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, illustration is omitted.

  In the core material 1, the top surface of the upper member 13 continuing to the overlapping portion 15 is a chamfered arc surface. Therefore, when the core material 1 is placed in a foam mold and the urethane foam layer 2 is foam-molded, a rapid change in the thickness of the foam is prevented, thereby improving the fluidity of the foamed resin. And other problems can be prevented.

(Example 5)
FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a main part of the core material 1 used in this embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, illustration is omitted.

  FIG. 7 shows the top of the bottom 11. Thus, even if the upper member 13 and the lower member 14 intersect, the lower surface 13 ′ of the upper member 13 and the upper surface 14 ′ of the lower member 14 that are continuous with the overlapping portion 15 are flush with each other at the overlapping portion 15. Therefore, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are exhibited.

(Example 6)
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the main part of the core material 1 used in this embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, illustration is omitted.

  FIG. 8 shows the top of the bottom 11. Thus, even if the upper member 13 and the lower member 14 intersect, the lower surface 13 ′ of the upper member 13 and the upper surface 14 ′ of the lower member 14 that are continuous with the overlapping portion 15 are flush with each other at the overlapping portion 15. Therefore, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are exhibited.

(Comparative example)
9 and 10 are cross-sectional views of the main part of the core material 1 used in the comparative example. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, illustration is omitted.

  In FIG. 9, the thinned overlapping portion is not formed in the direction intersecting the vertical direction, and the lower surface 13 ′ of the upper member 13 and the upper surface 14 ′ of the lower member 14 are not substantially on the same plane, There is no intersection. Therefore, in the armrest using this core material, a shearing stress is applied by the load V from above by the human body, and the upper member 13 moves downward. Further, since the impact load H from the side is transmitted from the lower member 14 to the upper member 13, it is difficult to absorb the impact.

  In FIG. 10, although the overlapping portion 15 is formed, the lower surface 13 ′ of the upper member 13 and the upper surface 14 ′ of the lower member 14 are not substantially flush with each other at the overlapping portion 15 and do not intersect each other. Therefore, in the armrest using this core material, although the impact due to the impact load H from the side can be absorbed by the movement of the lower member 14 due to the shear deformation of the overlapping portion 15, the overlapping portion 15 is destroyed by the load V from above by the human body. Or there is a problem of being easily deformed.

It is a perspective view which partially fractures and shows the armrest of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of one Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the 3rd Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the 4th Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the 5th Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the 6th Example of this invention. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the comparative example. It is a principal part expanded sectional view of the core material used for the armrest of the comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

1: Core material 2: Urethane foam layer 3: Skin layer
13: Upper member 14: Lower member 15: Overlapping part

Claims (5)

An armrest that includes a core material and a covering that covers the core material, and is provided so as to protrude into the automobile compartment,
The core member has at least an upper member and a lower member, and the end portions of the upper member and the lower member are overlapped with each other in the vertical direction in a superposed portion that is thin in the direction intersecting the vertical direction, The lower surface of the upper member and the upper surface of the lower member that are continuous with the overlapping portion are substantially flush with or intersect each other at the overlapping portion,
An armrest for an automobile, wherein the overlapping portion is capable of shearing deformation when an excessive stress is applied to the core material in a direction crossing the vertical direction.   The automobile armrest according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping portion is formed in at least a horizontal portion of the core material.   The armrest for an automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the upper member and the lower member has a bulging portion that bulges laterally from the overlapping portion.   The automobile armrest according to claim 3, wherein the bulging portion is overhanging close to the upper member or the lower member. The said covering body has the foam integrally formed with the said core material, At least one of the said upper member and the said lower member has the circular arc surface smoothly continued toward the said superimposition part. The armrest for automobiles described in 1.

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