JPH09175233A - Meter hood mounting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: When attaching a meter hood 3 to an opening 5 of an instrument panel main body 2 of an automobile, the number of parts required is reduced and the attachment is facilitated. SOLUTION: An engagement tongue 8 having an engagement opening 9 is integrally connected to an upper edge portion 2a of an opening 5 of an instrument panel main body 2 by a thin hinge 11 so as to be vertically swingable. On the back surface of the meter hood 3, an engaging projection 15 that engages with the engaging tongue 8 at its engaging opening 9 is integrally provided. While inserting the engaging projection 15 into the engaging port 9, the meter hood 3 is inserted into the opening 5, and the engaging tongue 8 is pushed up by the meter hood to thereby engage the engaging tongue 8 and the engaging projection 15. The engagement between the instrument panel body and the meter hood 3 is not required, and the instrument panel body upper edge 2a and the meter hood 3 are not required to be screwed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automobile meter hood mounting structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, 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, actual Kaihei 6
JP-A-83456 describes a meter hood mounting structure in which a meter hood is coupled to the upper edge of the opening of the instrument panel body by a screw member. Its structure is basically as shown in FIG. 4, in which a is the instrument panel body,
b is the upper part of the meter hood inserted into the opening of the instrument panel body a, and the upper part b of the meter hood
Is connected to the upper edge of the opening of the instrument panel body a by a spring nut c and a screw d.

Also, regarding a meter hood for automobiles, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-131322 discloses a meter hood integrally connected to an opening of a resin instrument panel main body through a thin hinge. Has been done. This is because when the meter hood has a recess that undercuts the instrument panel body in the die cutting direction, the meter hood is bent to the instrument panel body 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 adopted to improve the formability by forming the meter hood portion with respect to the instrument panel body in a positional relationship different from the regular position.

[0004]

As described above, when the meter hood is fixed to the instrument panel body by the screw members, many screw members are used to enhance the mounting stability of the meter hood. It is necessary to increase the number of parts, and the assembly of the meter hood is also troublesome. On the other hand, if the meter hood is connected integrally to the instrument panel body with a thin hinge, the number of parts itself will be reduced, but the shape of the meter hood that can be connected to the instrument panel body with a thin hinge is Will be limited.

[0005]

In view of this point, the inventor of the present invention considers the above point and connects the engaging tongue to the instrument panel body integrally by a thin hinge, and engages the meter hood with the engaging tongue. The meter hood can be positioned and held so as not to move by the rotational movement of the engaging tongue utilizing, so that expected effects such as a reduction in the number of parts can be obtained.

That is, according to the first aspect of the invention, 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. In a meter hood mounting structure to be mounted to an instrument panel body, an engaging tongue having an engaging opening is provided at an upper edge portion of the opening in the instrument panel body when the meter hood is not inserted into the opening. In a state in which the meter hood hangs down, and when the meter hood is inserted, it is pushed by the meter hood and is rotated and raised inside the instrument panel body,
The meter hood is integrally connected through a thin hinge so as to be vertically swingable, and on the back surface of the meter hood, when the engaging tongue hangs down from the upper edge portion of the opening, Is formed from the front side of the instrument panel body, and when the engaging tongue is in a state of rotating and rising, an engaging projection integrally formed with the engaging tongue at the engaging opening is formed integrally. It is characterized by being.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the meter hood mounting structure according to the first aspect, a portion where the thin hinge of the instrument panel body is provided in the meter hood is viewed from the front side. To cover
It is characterized in that it is provided with an upper edge portion extending upward from a portion where the engaging projection is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the meter hood mounting structure according to the first aspect, the engagement protrusion is located on the front side of the instrument panel body with respect to the engagement opening of the engagement tongue. Has a tip portion that comes into contact with the inner surface of the engaging tongue when the engaging tongue is in a rotationally raised state, and the engaging tongue is in a rotationally raised state on the back surface of the meter hood. When it becomes, the abutment rib that abuts on the outer surface of the engaging tongue and holds the engaging tongue together with the tip of the engaging protrusion is integrally formed.

(Operation) In the invention according to claim 1, before the meter hood is inserted into the opening of the instrument panel body, the engaging tongue is inserted from the upper edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel body through the thin hinge. Since it hangs down, 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 body.

When the meter hood is inserted into the opening while the engaging projection is inserted into the engaging opening of the engaging tongue and the engaging tongue is pushed, the engaging tongue is located inside the instrument panel body. The rotation of the engaging opening increases and the orientation of the engaging opening changes downward. For this reason, the engaging projection of the meter hood engages with the engaging tongue at the engaging opening thereof in an unremovable manner. As a result, the meter hood is positioned so as not to move with respect to the upper edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel body, and screw connection between the upper edge portion of the instrument panel body and the meter hood becomes unnecessary. .

Assuming that the engaging tongue does not rotate and rise, in order to engage the engaging projection of the meter hood with the engaging tongue in such a manner that the engaging projection cannot be removed, for example, the engaging projection is formed in a hook shape. Then, it is necessary to take such a structure that the meter hood side is rotated. However, then, it is necessary to make the opening of the instrument panel main body large so that the meter hood can be rotated, which is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of effective use of space. According to the present invention, since the engaging tongue is rotated instead, it is not necessary to rotate the meter hood side for the engagement of the engaging tongue and the engaging protrusion that cannot be removed, It is also advantageous in terms of space.

In order to fix the meter hood to the instrument panel body, another portion of the meter hood where the engagement protrusion is not provided, or two or more portions as required, is provided with a screw member or the like. The meter hood is completely fixed to the instrument panel body by this coupling and the engagement of the engaging tongue and the engaging projection. In this way, since the engagement of the engaging tongue and the engaging protrusion effectively contributes to the fixing of the meter hood,
The required number of connecting means such as screw members, and thus the number of parts can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the portion of the instrument panel body where the thin hinge is provided is covered by the upper edge of the meter hood and cannot be seen.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, 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 and raised, the engaging tongue engages with the meter hood. Since it is sandwiched between the fitting protrusion and the contact rib, rattling due to vibration of the automobile is prevented.

[0015]

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
An engaging tongue having an engaging opening is integrally connected to an upper edge portion of the opening of the instrument panel body by a thin-walled hinge so as to be vertically swingable, while the engaging tongue is engaged with the engaging tongue on the back surface of the meter hood. Since the engaging projections to be fitted together are integrally provided, and the engaging projections are inserted into the engaging openings and the engaging tongues are pushed up, the engaging projections and the engaging tongues are engaged with each other in an unremovable manner. 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, which reduces the cost and is advantageous in terms of effective use of space. That is a special effect.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the meter hood mounting structure according to the first aspect, the meter hood has a front surface at a portion where the thin hinge of the instrument panel body is provided. Since it has an upper edge portion that extends upward from the portion where the engaging protrusion is provided, it is easy to hide the thin hinge portion of the instrument panel body to improve the appearance. it can.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in the meter hood mounting structure according to the first aspect, when the engaging tongue is in a state of being rotated and raised, the engaging projection and the abutment rib are used. Since it is sandwiched, rattling of the engaging tongue due to vibration of the automobile is prevented.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

<Overall Configuration of Vehicle Instrument Panel> In the vehicle instrument panel 1 shown in FIG. 1, 2 is an instrument panel body, and a meter hood 3 is provided on the front side facing the driver's seat, and
Blow-out holes 4 for air-conditioning air are formed in the center and both ends of the surface and on the upper surface. Each of the instrument panel body 2 and the meter hood 3 is made of synthetic resin.

<Mounting structure of meter hood> 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. .

As shown in FIG. 3, an engaging tongue 8 projecting downward is provided on the upper edge 2a of the instrument panel body 2 forming the opening 5, and the engaging tongue 8 is provided on the engaging tongue 8. A rectangular engaging port 9 is opened. This engaging tongue 8
When the meter hood 3 is not inserted into the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2, the meter hood 3 hangs down from the upper edge 2a (a state shown on the right side of FIG. 2), and when the meter hood 3 is inserted. In order to be in a state of being pushed up by the meter hood 3 and being rotated and raised to the inside of the instrument panel body 2 (state on the left side in FIG. 2), the instrument panel body 2 is leftward and rightward with respect to the upper edge portion 2a. Through a thin hinge 11 that extends, they are integrally connected so as to be vertically swingable.

Although one engaging tongue 8 is shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of engaging tongues 8 are provided in the upper edge portion 2a at intervals in the left-right direction. A step portion 12 extending in the left-right direction above the thin hinge 11 along the opening 5 is formed on the upper edge portion 2a of the instrument panel body 2.

Further, the instrument panel body 2
In the lower edge portion 2b forming the opening 5, a plurality of screw holes opened on the front side of the instrument panel for connecting the meter hood 3 are formed at intervals in the left-right direction.

On the other hand, on the back surface of the upper wall of the meter hood 3, as shown in FIG. 2, an engaging projection 15 corresponding to the engaging opening 9 of the engaging tongue 8 is provided. This engaging projection 15 is
The meter hood 3 is formed in a hook shape that protrudes obliquely forward (front of the vehicle body) from the back surface of the upper portion of the meter hood 3 and has a front end bent slightly obliquely downward. The meter hood 3 is provided with an upper edge portion 3a which extends further upward than a portion where the engaging projection 15 projects and is bent forward so as to be caught by the step portion 12 of the instrument panel body 2. Further, on the back surface of the upper edge portion 3a of the meter hood 3, a contact rib 16 for pushing up the engaging tongue 8 and preventing the rattling is integrally formed.

Further, the meter hood 3 has a lower edge portion 3b extending downward from the front end of the lower wall, further offset forward and extending downward, and the lower edge portion 3b of the instrument panel body 2 is provided. It is adapted to be coupled to the lower edge portion 2b by a screw member 17. Further, 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 having an upper part inserted from the hole 18 is provided on the back surface of the lower edge portion 3b. Are combined.

<Mounting of Meter Hood> Before the meter hood 3 is inserted into the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2, as shown on the right side of FIG. 2a, the engaging port 9 of the engaging tongue 8 faces obliquely downward so as to allow the engaging projection 15 of the meter hood 3 to be inserted from the front side of the instrument panel.

In this state, while inserting the engaging projection 15 into the engaging opening 9 of the engaging tongue 8, the meter hood 3
2 is inserted into the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2 and slightly lifted as necessary, the engaging tongue 8 is pushed up by the contact rib 16 of the meter hood 3 and, as shown on the left side of FIG. The engagement opening 9 of the tongue 8 changes to a state in which it is almost downward. Thereby, the engaging protrusion 1
The tip of 5 abuts on the inner surface of the engaging tongue 8, and the contact rib 1
6 is brought into contact with the outer surface of the engaging tongue 8, and the engaging protrusion 1
No. 5 cannot be inserted or removed in the horizontal direction with respect to the engaging port 9, and the engaging tongue 8 has the engaging projection 15 and the contact rib 1.
It is sandwiched by 6 and. The thin hinge 11 of the instrument panel body 2 is covered by the upper edge portion 3a of the meter hood 3 from the front side of the instrument panel.

Thereafter, the lower edge portion 3b of the meter hood 3 is
Is coupled to the lower edge portion 2b of the instrument panel body 2 by a screw member 17.

Therefore, in the meter hood 3, since the engaging projection 15 and the engaging tongue 8 cannot be inserted and removed, the instrument hood 3 can be screwed only at the lower edge portion 3b. It is firmly fixed to the panel body 2. Further, since the engaging tongue 8 is sandwiched by the engaging protrusion 15 and the contact rib 16, it does not rattle due to the vibration of the automobile.

Further, in the case of the above embodiment, the engaging tongue 8 is
Since there are a plurality of engaging portions formed by the engaging projections 11 and the engaging projections 11, and the engaging portions are arranged along the upper edge of the opening 5 of the instrument panel body 2 at intervals in the left-right direction, the individual engaging portions The load received by the joint tongue 8 from the meter hood 3 or the load received from the meter hood 3 by each continuous portion of the instrument panel body upper edge portion 2a in which these engaging tongues 8 are connected is reduced. Therefore, the bending deformation of the engaging tongue 8 or the upper edge portion 2a of the instrument panel main body becomes small, and as a result, the attachment / detachment of the meter hood 3 is prevented.
Easy to remove.

[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 mounting the meter hood.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an engaging tongue of an instrument panel body.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Instrument panel of automobile 2 Instrument panel body 2a Upper edge 2b Lower edge 3 Meter hood 3a Upper edge 3b Lower edge 5 Meter hood insertion opening 6 Meter body 8 Engaging tongue 9 Engaging port 11 Thin hinge 15 Engaging projections 16 Abutment ribs 17 Screw members (coupling means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A meter which is provided in a resin instrument panel body of an automobile and is provided with an opening for inserting a meter hood, 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. In the hood mounting structure, an engagement tongue having an engagement opening is provided at the upper edge portion of the opening in the instrument panel body, and is in a state of hanging from the upper edge portion when the meter hood is not inserted in the opening. , So that when the meter hood is inserted, the meter hood is pushed to the meter hood so that the meter hood rotates and rises to the inside of the instrument panel body. When the engaging tongue hangs from the upper edge of the opening on the back surface of the meter hood, An engagement projection that is inserted into the engagement opening from the front side of the instrument panel body and that engages with the engagement tongue in the engagement opening when the engagement tongue is in a rotationally raised state. The meter hood mounting structure is characterized by being integrally molded. 2. The meter hood mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the meter hood covers the portion of the instrument panel body where the thin hinge is provided from the front side. A meter hood mounting structure comprising an upper edge portion that extends upward from a portion where a protrusion is provided. 3. The meter hood mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the engagement projection is inserted into the engagement opening of the engagement tongue from the front side of the instrument panel body. Has a tip portion that comes into contact with the inner surface of the engaging tongue when the rotating tongue is in a raised state, and the back surface of the meter hood has the engaging portion when the engaging tongue is in a rotatingly raised state. A meter hood mounting structure, characterized in that an abutment rib for abutting an outer surface of the tongue and sandwiching the engaging tongue is integrally formed with a tip portion of the engaging projection.