JP5389628B2 - Knee pad structure for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle kneepad structure that is provided in a vehicle such as an automobile and protects a knee portion of an occupant.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle occupant protection structure for mitigating the impact on an occupant's knee that is in contact with the lower part of the instrument panel and regulating the range of movement of the knee during sudden deceleration of the vehicle. Is disclosed.

  In the occupant protection structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, a metal bracket is attached to a steering hanger beam that suspends one front pillar and the other front pillar on both sides of a vehicle interior via a support member in a vehicle interior. The structure which attaches and attaches a pad member to this metal bracket is employ | adopted.

JP 2003-327066 A

  However, in the occupant protection structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, in order to support the pad member at a portion facing the occupant's knee on the back surface of the instrument panel, a support member attached to the steering hanger beam and There is a problem that metal brackets are required, and the number of parts increases, resulting in a high manufacturing cost.

  Moreover, in the passenger | crew protection structure disclosed by this patent document 1, although the structure which fastens the fastening piece provided in the metal bracket with respect to a support member with the fastening member which consists of a volt | bolt and a nut is employ | adopted. When the occupant's knee comes into contact with the pad member fixed to the bracket, the bolts may loosen and the metal bracket and the pad member may be displaced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has a knee pad structure for a vehicle that can reduce the number of parts by eliminating the need for a metal bracket and can securely fix a pad member to the back surface of the instrument panel. The purpose is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle for protecting a passenger's knee by cushioning an impact with a pad member when the passenger's knee is in contact with an instrument panel in a vehicle collision or the like. In the knee pad structure, the pad member is fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel corresponding to the knee portion of the occupant via a fastening member, a crushing rib is provided on the pad member, and a crushing seat surface is formed on the pad member. The fastening member has a washer installed between the head of the fastening member and the crushing seat surface, and when the fastening member is fastened, the crushing seat surface is crushed by the washer. The pad rib is fixed to the instrument panel by crushing the crushing rib on the back surface of the instrument panel.

According to the present invention, a crushing rib is provided on one surface of the pad member that comes into contact with the back surface of the instrument panel, and adhesion to the back surface of the instrument panel is increased by crushing the crushing rib when fastening with a fastening member. The pad member can be firmly fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel. As a result, in the present invention, the metal bracket used in the prior art is not required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the pad member can be securely fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the squashed seat surface formed on the pad member by the washer can be crushed and compressed and deformed, and the fastening force of the fastening member can be exerted by the reaction force. As a result, in the present invention, even when an impact is applied to the pad member, the fastening member is prevented from being pulled out and the pad member can be prevented from being displaced. In addition, in the present invention, the crushing rib provided on the instrument panel and the crushing seat surface provided on the instrument panel cooperate to prevent the pad member from rattling and prevent the instrument panel from being loosened. The pad member can be reliably fixed to the back surface.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the fastening member is composed of a boss portion formed to protrude from the back surface of the instrument panel and a screw screwed into a screw hole formed in the boss portion. To do.

  According to the present invention, the pad member can be easily fastened to the back surface of the instrument panel by the boss portion protruding from the back surface of the instrument panel and the fastening member made of screws screwed into the screw holes of the boss portion. it can. As a result, in the present invention, it is easy to fix the pad member to the instrument panel, and the working time can be shortened.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that a fuse box is disposed in front of the pad member in the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, since the fuse box is disposed in front of the pad member in the vehicle, the pad member is finally applied to the fuse box and compressively deformed to suitably absorb the impact load. Can do.

  A knee bracket structure for a vehicle that can reduce the number of components by eliminating the need for a metal bracket and can reliably fix the pad member to the back surface of the instrument panel can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view of a front part of a vehicle compartment to which a vehicle kneepad structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is the perspective view seen from the back surface side of an instrument panel. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the III-III line of FIG. FIG. 3 is a transparent perspective view of the pad member as viewed from the direction of arrow Z in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the said pad member is fixed to the back surface of an instrument panel with a screw. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5, (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state before the screw is screwed, and (b) is one of crushing ribs when the screw is screwed. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the part deformed plastically. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5, wherein (a) is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a state before the screw is screwed and before the crushing screw seat surface is deformed; These are the expanded longitudinal cross-sectional views which show the state which the said screw was screwed in and the crushing screw seat surface deform | transformed. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the pad member hit | abutted to the fuse box and compressively deformed.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front part of a passenger compartment of an automobile to which a vehicle kneepad structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from the back side of an instrument panel, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the III-III line of 2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an instrument panel 12 made of, for example, a resin material is provided in front of a passenger compartment 10 of an automobile. As shown in FIG. 3, the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 corresponding to the occupant's knee 14 is, for example, any one of an elastic body, a foam, a resin body, etc., and absorbs the applied impact. A pad member 16 made of a block body having the characteristic of buffering is provided (see the broken line in FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pad member 16 is provided with a rectangular fuse box 18 in a front side of the vehicle in a side view. The fuse box 18 is held via a first bracket 22a with respect to a steering hanger beam 20 that extends in the lateral direction by suspending one front pillar (not shown) and the other front pillar, and is arranged in the center of the vehicle. The center frame 23 extending along the vertical direction is firmly held via the second bracket 22b.

  4 is a transparent perspective view of the pad member viewed from the direction of the arrow Z in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the pad member is fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel by screws, FIG. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5 and shows a state before the screw is screwed. FIG. 6B is a part of a crushing rib when the screw is screwed. FIG. 7A is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 5, and the crushing screw seat surface is deformed before the screw is screwed. FIG. 7B is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the screw is screwed and the crushed screw seat surface is deformed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pad member 16 is provided integrally with a block body 16 a which is seen through from the surface 12 b side of the instrument panel 12 and swells in a substantially T shape, and an upper portion of the block body 16 a. The tongue piece portion 16b is formed thinner than the other portions, and the inclined surface portion 16c is integrally formed on the lower side of the block body 16a.

  A first insertion hole 24a and a second insertion hole 24b penetrating at a predetermined interval are formed on the left and right sides of the block body 16a along the vehicle width direction, and a tongue piece at the top of the block body 16a is formed. A third insertion hole 24c is formed in the portion 16b.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a plurality of boss portions 26 projecting toward the front of the vehicle are bulged and formed on the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12, and the plurality of boss portions 26 are the pad members. 16 is provided so as to be insertable into the first to third insertion holes 24a to 24c. The inner diameters of the first to third insertion holes 24 a to 24 c are formed corresponding to the outer diameter shape of the boss portion 26.

  The boss portion 26 protrudes in a direction away from the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12, and a tapered portion 26a that gradually decreases in diameter toward the protruding direction, and a cylinder that continues to the tapered portion 26a and has a substantially constant outer diameter. Part 26b. The boss portion 26 is formed with a screw hole 30 into which the screw 28 is screwed. In this case, the boss portion 26 and the screw 28 function as fastening members.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the opening portions of the first to third insertion holes 24 a to 24 c of the pad member 16 that are in contact with the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12 are each annular or substantially annular along the opening portion. A first crushing rib 32 bulged is provided.

  As will be described later, when the pad member 16 is fastened to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 with the screw 28 and the washer 33, the first crushing rib 32 is a taper of the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 and the boss portion 26. It is plastically deformed by being pressed and crushed by the skirt part 12c in the vicinity of the part 26a (see FIG. 7B). As shown in FIG. 6A, the first crushing rib 32 is formed in a substantially arc shape in the longitudinal section, but is not limited to this, and is formed in, for example, a rectangular shape in the longitudinal section. May be.

  In addition, the inclined surface portion 16c adjacent to the first and second insertion holes 24a and 24b is provided with three second crushing ribs 34 that are substantially parallel and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and bulge linearly. . As will be described later, the second crushing rib 34 is pressed against the curved surface 12d of the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 when the pad member 16 is fastened to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 with screws 28 and washers 33. By being crushed, it is plastically deformed.

  Furthermore, a third crushing rib 36 that swells linearly is provided at a portion that is substantially orthogonal to the flat surface 16d of the block body 16a and is close to the third insertion hole 24c. As will be described later, the third crushing rib 36 is pressed against the inclined surface 12e of the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 when the pad member 16 is fastened to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 with screws 28 and washers 33. By being crushed, it is plastically deformed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the second and third crushing ribs 34 and 36 extending in a straight line are formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the longitudinal section. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be formed in an arc shape or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the upper surface 16e of the pad member 16 into which the screw 28 is screwed is provided with a crushed screw seat surface (crushed seat surface) 38 without contacting the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12. It is done.

  The crushing screw seat surface 38 is composed of an annular bulging portion formed along the openings of the first to third insertion holes 24 a to 24 c, and when the screw 28 is screwed along the screw hole 30, the washer 33 is The crushing screw seat surface 38 is compressed by being crushed by pressing. As a result, the function (prevention function) of preventing the screw 28 from loosening with respect to the screw hole 30 is exhibited. In this embodiment, the crushed screw seat surface 38 is crushed by the washer 33, but the crushed screw seat surface 38 may be directly crushed by the head of the screw 28 instead of the washer 33.

  The vehicle to which the vehicle kneepad structure according to the present embodiment is applied is basically configured as described above, and the operation and effect thereof will be described next.

  When the automobile is running, for example, the vehicle decelerates rapidly due to a collision or the like, and the occupant's knee 14 moves in the forward direction of the vehicle and comes into contact with the lower side of the front surface 12b of the instrument panel 12, so Press towards. An impact load is applied to the pad member 16 fixed to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 via a fastening member by the pressing action of the occupant's knee 14, and the pad member 16 is disposed in front of the vehicle. The impact load is buffered (absorbed) by abutting 18 and compressively deforming (see FIG. 8).

  Next, the work of fixing the pad member 16 to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the boss portion 26 that is formed in advance on the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12 is inserted along the first to third insertion holes 24 a to 24 c formed in the pad member 16. Thus, the pad member 16 is positioned at a predetermined position on the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12.

  In this case, as shown in FIG. 7A, before the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30 of the boss portion 26, the top portion 26c of the boss portion 26 protruding from the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 is used. The crushing screw seat surface 38 formed on the curved upper surface 16 e side of the pad member 16 is provided so as to protrude by a predetermined length T along the protruding direction of the boss portion 26.

  Subsequently, the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30 of the boss portion 26 through the washer 33, and the screw member 28 is increased in the screwing amount, so that the pad member 16 is fixed to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12. It is firmly fixed.

  When the screwing amount of the screw 28 is increased, the first to third crushing ribs 32, 34, 36 of the pad member 16 contacting the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 are crushed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously to be plastically deformed, The pad member 16 is integrally coupled to the ment panel 12.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7 (a) before the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30, and FIG. 7 (b) after the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30, the first is understood. When the pad member 16 is fastened to the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12 with the screw 28 and the washer 33, the crushing rib 32 is formed on the bottom surface 12 c of the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12 and in the vicinity of the tapered portion 26 a of the boss portion 26. Pressed and crushed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (a) before the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30 and FIG. 6 (b) after the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30, the inclined surface portion is understood. When the pad member 16 is fastened to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 with the screw 28 and the washer 33, the second crushing rib 34 formed on the 16c is pressed against the curved surface 12d of the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 and crushed. It is.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (a) before the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30 and FIG. 6 (b) after the screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole 30, the block body is understood. When the pad member 16 is fastened to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 with the screw 28 and the washer 33, the third crushing rib 36 formed in a portion substantially orthogonal to the flat surface 16d of 16a is formed on the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12. It is pressed and crushed by the inclined surface 12e.

  On the other hand, the crushing screw seat surface 38 formed on the curved upper surface 16e side of the pad member 16 is, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the screw 28 is screwed along the screw hole 30. Pressed by the washer 33 and crushed.

  In the present embodiment, an annular first crushing rib 32 is provided on one surface of the pad member 16 that comes into contact with the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12, and linear second and third crushing ribs 34 and 36 are provided. By screwing the 28 along the screw hole 30 of the boss portion 26 and crushing the first to third crushing ribs 32, 34, 36, the adhesion (adhesiveness) to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 is increased, and the pad The member 16 can be firmly fixed to the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12.

  As a result, in the present embodiment, the metal bracket used in the prior art is not required, the number of parts can be reduced, and the pad member 16 can be reliably fixed to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12. .

  Further, in this embodiment, a crushing screw seat surface 38 is provided on the other surface of the pad member 16 that is not in contact with the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 and the screw 28 is screwed, and the screwing amount of the screw 28 is increased. The crushing screw seat surface 38 can be compressed and deformed, and the anti-loosening action of the screw 28 can be exerted by the reaction force. As a result, in the present embodiment, even when an impact is applied to the pad member 16, the removal of the screw 28 is prevented and the displacement of the pad member 16 can be prevented.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the 1st-3rd crushing ribs 32, 34, 36 provided in one surface of the instrument panel 12, and the crushing provided in the other surface of the instrument panel 12 on the opposite side to the said one surface. By cooperating with the screw seat surface 38, the pad member 16 can be reliably fixed to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 by preventing play of the pad member 16 from occurring.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the pad member 16 is attached to the instrument panel 12 by a fastening member comprising a boss portion 26 protruding from the back surface 12 a of the instrument panel 12 and a screw 28 screwed into the screw hole 30 of the boss portion 26. It can be simply fastened to the back surface 12a. As a result, in this embodiment, the fixing work of the pad member 16 to the instrument panel 12 becomes easy, and the working time can be shortened.

  In the present embodiment, the three boss portions 26 that are respectively inserted into the first to third insertion holes 24a to 24c of the pad member 16 are projected. Of these three boss portions 26, for example, Screws 28 are screwed into the screw holes 30 of the two boss portions 26 respectively inserted into the first insertion hole 24a and the second insertion hole 24b, and the screws 28 are screwed into the boss portions 26 inserted into the third insertion holes 24c. The pad member 16 may be fixed to the back surface 12a of the instrument panel 12 only with the two screws 28. By reducing the number of screws 28 to be screwed in this way, the fastening operation of the pad member 16 can be simplified and the working time can be further shortened.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fuse box 18 (FIG. 2) that is firmly held to the steering hanger beam 20 and the center frame 23 via the first and second brackets 22a and 22b in front of the pad member 16 in the vehicle. 8), as shown in FIG. 8, the pad member 16 is finally applied to the fuse box 18 and compressively deformed, so that the impact load can be suitably absorbed. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Instrument panel 12a Back surface (instrument panel) 14 Knee part 16 Pad member 18 Fuse box 26 Boss part (fastening member)
28 Screw (fastening member)
30 Screw holes 32, 34, 36 Crushing ribs 38 Crushing screw seat surface (crushed seat surface)

Claims (3)

In the vehicle kneepad structure that protects the occupant's knee by cushioning the impact with the pad member when the occupant's knee abuts the instrument panel at the time of a vehicle collision, etc.
The pad member is fixed to the back surface of the instrument panel corresponding to the occupant's knee via a fastening member, and a crushing rib is provided on the pad member, and further, a crushing seat surface is formed on the pad member,
The fastening member has a washer installed between the head of the fastening member and the crushing seat surface,
When the fastening member is fastened , the squashed seat surface is crushed by the washer, and the crushed rib is crushed on the back surface of the instrument panel to fix the pad member to the instrument panel. For kneepad structure. Wherein the fastening member includes a boss formed to protrude on the back surface of the instrument panel, according to claim 1 Symbol mounting characterized by comprising the bis being threaded into the screw hole formed in the boss portion Vehicle kneepad structure. Wherein the vehicle front of the pad member, the vehicle kneepad structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fuse box are arranged.

Images