JPH0761307A - Knee bolster - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a light and compact knee bolster, which has a required bending strength and a good appearance and which can be manufactured efficiently. CONSTITUTION:A glove box 1 is formed of a box body 2 and a cover member 4 for covering a cap part 3 of the box body 2 arranged at a cabin side. The box body 2 is provided with a hollow reinforcement rib 6 in the back surface of an inside surface plate 5 of the cap material 3, and the box body 2 is formed into a thin integral mold made of synthetic resin by the gas injection molding. The reinforcement rib 6 is formed in the back surface of the surface plate 5 and a cabin side thereof is covered with the cover member 4, and a knee bolster is formed in the cap of the glove box 1 by the surface plate 5, the reinforcement rib 6 and the cover member 4. In this knee bolster, the reinforcement rib 6 thickness can be formed at a desired height H, and formed into the thin structure with hollow parts 6a of the reinforcement rib 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knee bolster provided on an instrument panel or the like, and more particularly to a knee bolster which is lightweight and can be easily constructed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a front view of an instrument panel portion forming a front side of a vehicle, and a glove box portion 51 thereof.
A knee bolster having a shock absorbing structure is provided in the a or the steering column portion 51b so as to face the knees of the occupant. The specific structure of the knee bolster is 3-2
No. 5,353, etc. have been proposed.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. 7, in which a glove box 51 arranged in front of the occupant is provided in an opening of an instrument panel so as to be openable and closable and faces a knee 52 of the occupant. The lid portion 53 that forms a knee bolster for cushioning the impact of the knees of the occupant during a vehicle collision. As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 9, the detailed configuration thereof includes a box 54 forming a housing portion, a shock absorbing member 55 attached to the lid portion 53 thereof, and an outer cover forming a surface decorative member attached to the outside thereof. The member 56, side absorbers 57, 57 that support the impact force on both sides of the lid 53, and the opening / closing damper 58.
Etc.

FIG. 10 shows a sectional view taken along the line YY of FIG. 9, wherein the shock absorbing member 55 is a strength member made of an iron plate having corrugated cross-section irregularities, and is bent according to the height dimension H of the irregularities. It has a lightweight structure while ensuring rigidity.

[0005]

However, since the box body and the outer cover of the glove box are generally made of synthetic resin for reasons such as manufacturability, the lid part of the glove box is made of an iron shock absorbing member. There is no choice but to use a complicated configuration that includes.

In order to avoid this complicated structure, when the shock absorbing member is made of a synthetic resin material integrally formed with reinforcing ribs, the base of the tall reinforcing ribs has a thick portion, and this thick portion Since the surface side of the resin retreats due to the shrinkage phenomenon when the resin is solidified and its appearance cannot be secured, it is difficult to obtain a knee bolster that satisfies the required bending strength and appearance.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a knee bolster which satisfies the required bending strength and appearance and has good manufacturability.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a knee bolster comprising a shock absorber having bending strength for protecting the lower leg of an occupant and a surface plate forming the outside thereof, the impact of the knee bolster. The absorber constitutes the knee bolster of claim 1 as a synthetic resin molded member in which hollow reinforcing ribs are integrally formed on the back surface of the surface plate.

With respect to the reinforcing rib of the knee bolster according to claim 1, the knee bolster made of synthetic resin according to claim 2 is constructed such that the height dimension from the surface plate is inclined at an acute angle toward the end.

In the reinforcing rib of the knee bolster according to claim 1, the knee bolster made of synthetic resin according to claim 3 is constructed so that the cross section thereof forms a substantially equilateral triangle having the same surface plate as the base.

The reinforcing rib of the knee bolster according to claim 1 is configured so that the cross section of the knee bolster has a trapezoid having a top parallel to the surface plate.

[0012]

In the impact absorber of the knee bolster according to claim 1, since the bending strength is secured by the reinforcing ribs and the reinforcing ribs are thinly formed by the hollow portion, the contraction of the surface side of the surface plate is caused. The retreat is avoided and its appearance is secured.

In the knee bolster according to claim 2, since the height dimension of the reinforcing rib is inclined at an acute angle toward the end, a deep hollow portion is formed at the end according to the gas injection method. The formation of a thick portion that deteriorates the appearance of the front surface of the surface plate is avoided.

In the knee bolster according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the reinforcing rib has a cross section of a substantially equilateral triangle whose base is the same surface plate, a large bending strength is ensured, and the reinforcing rib is suppressed to a low profile to be smart and thin. However, a predetermined strength as a knee bolster is secured.

In the knee bolster according to claim 4, since the cross section of the reinforcing rib has a trapezoidal shape having a top portion parallel to the surface plate, a cover member that can be opened and closed by assembling a cover member on the top portion side is provided. In the structure, the appearance of both surfaces including the surface plate can be ensured and the requirement of shock absorption, which is the original purpose of the knee bolster, can be satisfied. Further, the wider the flat surface of the top portion, the more sufficient strength can be obtained to satisfy this requirement.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a glove box provided with a knee bolster according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an end portion of a reinforcing rib of the knee bolster. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a reinforcing rib of the knee bolster.

A glove box 1 forming a knee bolster according to the present invention is provided at an opening portion of an instrument panel (not shown) so as to be openable and closable, and a cover member 4 for covering a box body 2 and a lid portion 3 on the passenger compartment side thereof. Consists of. The box body 2 is provided with hollow reinforcing ribs 6 on the back surface of the surface plate 5 inside the lid portion 3 in a streak shape, and is thin-walled integrally molded of synthetic resin by gas injection molding for introducing high-pressure gas during injection molding. Make a member.

As shown in FIG. 2, the reinforcing ribs 6 are formed on the back surface of the front plate 5, and the passenger compartment side of the reinforcing ribs 6 is covered with the cover member 4, and the surface plate 5, the reinforcing ribs 6 and the cover member 4 cover the globe. Form a knee bolster on the lid of box 1.

This knee bolster has an arbitrary height H as a shock absorber having bending strength for protecting the lower leg of an occupant.
The reinforcing ribs 6 can be formed on the upper surface, and the hollow ribs 6a of the reinforcing ribs 6 can reduce the thickness of the reinforcing ribs 6, thereby ensuring a predetermined cross-sectional bending rigidity without impairing the appearance of the surface plate 5.

In FIG. 3, the reinforcing ribs 6 of the knee bolster 1 have an acute angle A whose height dimension from the surface plate 5 decreases toward the end portion, so that the end portion at the time of gas injection molding is formed. It is possible to form the hollow portion 6b deeply in the interior to form a thin wall structure, and to avoid forming a thick wall portion that deteriorates the appearance of the surface plate 5.

The sectional shape of the reinforcing rib 6 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), when the surface plate 5 is a substantially equilateral triangle with the bottom side, a large bending strength can be secured, so that the reinforcing ribs can be suppressed to a low level to form a smart thin knee bolster. it can.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, when the reinforcing rib 6 has a trapezoidal cross section having a top portion 6c parallel to the surface plate 5, the cover member 4 is attached to the top portion 6c side. In the structure of the lid-like member that can be opened and closed, the appearance of both surfaces including the surface plate 5 can be secured. Further, the wider the top flat surface of the top portion 6c, the more strength can be obtained, and the requirements for shock absorption can be satisfied.

FIG. 5 (A) is a cross-sectional view of a glove box in which the cover member is integrally molded with synthetic resin, and FIG. 5 (B) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the glove box in which the side absorbent body is integrally molded.

A glove box 11 shown in FIG. 5A is an example in which a box body 12 and a lid portion 13 thereof are integrally resin-molded, and the lid portion 13 includes an inner surface portion 15 forming the box body 12 and a surface decorative member. The reinforcing rib 16 is integrally resin-molded between the cover 14 and the cover 14. The lid 13 is a knee bolster,
The cover portion 14 and the inner surface portion 15 form a surface plate of the same knee bolster. In addition, the glove box 21 of FIG.
Is an example in which the box body 22 and the side surface absorber 27 are integrally resin-molded.

These are formed by gas injection molding to form a hollow portion 16a in the lid portion 13 of the glove box 11 of (A), and the glove box 21 of (B).
The hollow portion 2 is formed in the side surface absorber 27 that receives the acting force of the lid portion 23
By forming a thin-walled structure in which 7a is formed, it is possible to obtain both cross-sectional strength and surface appearance, and it is possible to improve manufacturability, reduce member cost, and reduce weight and size by simplifying the structure. it can.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a column cover forming a knee bolster in comparison.

As shown in FIG. 6 (A), the conventional column cover 31 is composed of a shock absorber 32 made of an iron plate and a cover member 33 covering the outer side thereof, and faces the knee portion of the driver of the steering column 34. It is provided.

The column cover 41 according to the present invention, as shown in comparison with FIG. 1B, secures the reinforcing rib 42 having a predetermined height H for securing the bending rigidity in section and the appearance of the surface. A hollow bolster 42a has a thin structure, and a knee bolster can be formed by gas injection molding as an integrally molded member made of synthetic resin.

[0030]

As described above, in the impact absorber of the knee bolster according to claim 1, hollow reinforcing ribs are integrally molded on the back surface of the face plate by synthetic resin molding, so that the bending strength is increased by the reinforcing ribs. Is ensured and
The thin structure of the hollow portion of the reinforcing rib secures the appearance of the surface side of the surface plate, and the cost of the component and the number of assembling steps can be reduced by simplifying the component structure.

In the knee bolster according to claim 2, since the height dimension of the reinforcing rib is inclined at an acute angle toward the end, a deep hollow portion is formed at the end according to the gas injection method. Since a thin-walled structure can be formed up to the end portion of the front plate, the appearance of the front surface of the surface plate can be further improved.

In the knee bolster according to the third aspect of the invention, since the cross section of the reinforcing rib is a substantially equilateral triangle having the same surface plate as the bottom side, a large bending strength is ensured, and the reinforcing rib is suppressed to a low thickness to be constructed in a smart thin shape. be able to.

In the knee bolster according to claim 4, since the cross section of the reinforcing rib has a trapezoidal shape having a top portion parallel to the surface plate, by assembling a cover member on the top side, both sides including the surface plate are covered. Since the appearance can be ensured, it is suitable for the configuration of the openable / closable lid-shaped member that requires the appearance on both the inner and outer surfaces, and can satisfy the requirement of shock absorption, which is the original purpose of the knee bolster. Further, the wider the flat surface of the top portion, the more sufficient strength can be obtained to satisfy this requirement.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a glove box forming a knee bolster according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an end portion of a reinforcing rib of the knee bolster.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a reinforcing rib of the knee bolster.

[Fig. 5] Another example of the configuration of the glove box

FIG. 6 is a comparative sectional view showing the configuration of a column cover forming a knee bolster.

FIG. 7 is a front view of an instrument panel portion forming a front side of a vehicle compartment.

8 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional glove box.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the glove box.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Glove box, 2 ... Box body, 3 ... Lid part (knee bolster), 4 ... Cover member, 5 ... Surface plate, 6 ... Reinforcing rib, 6a ... Hollow part, 6b ... Hollow part, 6c ... Top part, 13 ...
Lid part (knee bolster), 14 ... Cover part (surface plate),
15 ... Inner surface part (surface plate), 16 ... Reinforcing ribs, 16a ... Hollow part, 23 ... Lid part (knee bolster), 24 ... Cover part (surface plate), 25 ... Inner surface part (surface plate), 27 ... Side absorption Body, 27a ... Hollow part, 41 ... Column cover (knee bolster), 42 Reinforcing rib, 42a Hollow part, A ... Inclination angle, H
…height.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Koji Akasaka 2-845 Yoshinodai, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture Moriroku Co., Ltd. Technical Research Institute (72) Inventor Takashi Kurita 2-8 Yoshinodai, Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture No. 45 Moriroku Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A knee bolster comprising a shock absorber having bending strength for protecting a lower leg portion of an occupant and a surface plate forming an outer side thereof, wherein the shock absorber of the knee bolster is hollow on the back surface of the face plate. A knee bolster characterized by forming a synthetic resin molded member integrally formed with a reinforcing rib. 2. The knee bolster according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing rib of the knee bolster is inclined at an acute angle so that the height dimension from the surface plate decreases toward the end. 3. The knee bolster according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing rib of the knee bolster has a cross section of a substantially equilateral triangle whose base is the surface plate. 4. The knee bolster according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing rib of the knee bolster has a trapezoidal cross section having a top portion parallel to the surface plate.