JPS6242842Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automobile knee pad mounting structure.

In automobiles, as one of the safety measures for occupants in the event of a collision, a method has already been developed and is generally used to provide knee pads in front of the knees of seated occupants, which prevent the occupant's knees from protruding forward in the event of a collision. (Refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 132724/1983).

The kneepad consists of a roughly box-shaped cross-sectional member with cushioning material provided on the front and upper and lower surfaces, and mounting brackets extending rearward are fixed to both sides of the kneepad, and the brackets are fixed to the vehicle body side members with bolts, etc. Generally, the knee pads are attached to the vehicle body side member, and from the viewpoint of the knee pad's function, it is desirable to fix the knee pads on the upper and lower surfaces thereof.

However, since both sides of the knee pads are installed close to the inner surfaces of the left and right front pillars, and the top surface is installed almost along the lower part of the instrument panel, the gap around the knee pads is extremely small, making the installation work extremely troublesome. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain sufficient mounting rigidity, and there is a risk that when an occupant's knee hits the knee pad in a collision, the knee pad will be greatly deformed and will not be able to perform its desired function. On the other hand, if you try to obtain the desired knee pad function, the weight of the knee pad system including the mounting brackets will increase, or the knee pad mounting bolts will have to be installed in a position where they can be seen by the passenger, resulting in a loss of appearance quality. It has various drawbacks.

The present invention is aimed at solving the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional technology with an extremely simple structure, and will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the figure, 1 is a knee pad, and 2 is a mounting bracket for the knee pad 1.
The base end is fixed to the left and right side surfaces 11 of the knee pad 1 by screws, bolts, rivets, etc., and the tip protrudes to the rear of the knee pad 1, and the bolt 22 protrudes downward from the lower edge flange 21. The knee pads 1 are fixed to the vehicle body by inserting and setting the bolts 22 into the mounting holes of the vehicle body side members 6 such as brackets provided on the vehicle body, and screwing nuts onto the bolts 22 to secure the knee pads 1 to the vehicle body. It's getting old.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a stay that has a hook-like engaging portion 31 at its tip, and the stay 3 has its base end fixed to the left and right side surfaces 11 of the knee pad 1 in a state where it is overlapped with, for example, the bracket 2, and its tip is fixed to the rear side. The engagement portion 31 of the knee pad 1 is located at the upper rear portion of the knee pad 1.

A support member 4 (for example, using a bolt or the like) made of a rod-shaped body having a locking flange portion 41 at its tip is protruded inwardly in the vehicle width direction from a side member of the vehicle body such as the front pillar 5. The retainer 3 is fixed in place, and the engaging portion 31 of the stay 3 is engaged with the support member 4 as shown in FIG. 2 at the position where the knee pad 1 is attached.

In the above structure, when installing the knee pads 1, first push the knee pad mounting bolts 22 into the mounting holes of the vehicle body side member 6 (see FIG. 4). From this state, move knee pads 1 upward (toward the instrument panel)
Attach a nut to the mounting bolt 22 and tighten it to fix the knee pad 1 to the vehicle body, and the stay 3 and support member 4 are set and installed as shown in FIG. 3. complete.

The alignment of the mounting position and the fixing work are performed with the knee pads 1 supported in a position very close to the specified mounting position by the engagement between the knee pad mounting bolts 22 and the vehicle body member 6 as described above. The knee pads 1 are free to rotate about the vehicle body member 6 and move left and right, and the fixing work is only done on the underside of the knee pads, so that the installation work of the knee pads 1 is extremely simple and easy, and the ease of installation work can be significantly improved.

Note that the shape of the hook-like engaging portion 31 of the stay 3 is
As shown in the figure, if the shape is widened toward the end with an angle of α, the engagement operation with the support member 4 will be easy, and the workability will be improved.

When the installation of the knee pads 1 is completed as described above, the engaging portion 31 is in a state in which it is slightly lifted from the support member 4 or in a state in which it is in contact with the supporting member 4, as shown in FIG. 3 A and B. In addition, the engaging portion 31 is in a state close to and facing the locking flange portion 41 of the support member 4, and the knee pad 1 is supported only by the attachment portion of the bracket 2, and the stay 3 and the support member 4 are supported by multiple layers. The structure has almost no support.

During a vehicle collision, when the knee of the occupant hits the knee pad 1 and an impact load is applied in the direction of the arrow A in Figure 1,
The knee pad 1 bends and deforms due to the impact load, but in the present invention, when the knee pad 1 begins to bend slightly, the engaging portion 31 of the stay 3 hits the support member 4, and the forward deformation is restrained. At the same time, with respect to displacement toward the center of the vehicle body, the engaging portion 31 comes into contact with the locking flange portion 41, and further bending deformation is restrained, so that a sufficient safety function can be achieved.

As described above, according to the present invention, with an extremely simple configuration, it is possible to increase the support rigidity of the knee pads against impact loads and achieve a sufficient occupant protection function without increasing the weight or deteriorating the appearance quality due to exposure of bolts, etc. This can have many practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The attached drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one side of the knee pads, Fig. 2 is a front view showing the attached state of one side of the knee pads, and Fig. 3 A and B show the second side of the knee pads. FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view showing the engagement relationship between the stay and the support member in the figure, and FIG. 4 is a side view showing the installation work state. 1...knee pads, 2...brackets, 3...
Stay, 31... Engaging portion, 4... Support member, 41
... Locking flange portion, 5 ... Front pillar, 6
...Vehicle body side parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A knee pad mounting bracket and a stay having an engaging portion at the tip are fixed to both side surfaces of the knee pad, and the engaging portion of the stay is attached to a vehicle body member so as to rotate and move in the vehicle width direction. A supporting member having a locking flange portion that engages in a slidable manner and restrains and restricts the sliding of the stay engaging portion within a predetermined range is provided protrudingly, and the stay engaging portion is engaged with the supporting member. A knee pad mounting structure for an automobile, characterized in that the knee pad is mounted by fixing the above-mentioned knee pad mounting bracket to a vehicle body member in a state in which the knee pad is mounted. (2) The support member and the stay engagement portion engage with each other with a slight gap when the knee pads are attached, and the stay engagement portion and the locking flange of the support member engage with each other with a predetermined gap. An automobile knee pad mounting structure according to claim 1, which is characterized in that the structure has opposing structures.