JP2004058806A - Door support member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To construct so as to enable prevention of damage to an air bag door. <P>SOLUTION: The door support member 36 is divided to a support part 36A connected to the air bag door 14 by second engagement projection pieces 42, 42A; and non support part 36B extending to a side from the second engagement projection piece 42A positioned at the side end and not connected to the air bag door 14. Presupposing this, a deformation restriction part 50 extending along an outer edge of the door support member 36 and extending so as to surround the second engagement projection piece 42A is extended from the non-support part 36B to the support part 36A at required length. Thereby, since strength of the non-support part 36B is enhanced, a bending line of the non-support part 36B against the support part 36A crosses the second engagement projection piece 42A and is extended. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a door support member, and more particularly, to a door support member that is assembled to a back side of an airbag door provided at a required position of a vehicle interior member by using a connection fixing portion provided on the airbag door. It is about.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Most passenger cars are equipped with a driver airbag device and a passenger airbag device as standard equipment for the purpose of protecting occupants from impacts caused by collisions and the like. Among them, the passenger seat airbag device is mounted in a state of being housed inside an instrument panel 10 as a vehicle interior member installed in front of a passenger compartment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example. Therefore, the airbag door 14 that opens to the passenger compartment when receiving the pressing force of the airbag 64 that has started inflating by the operation of the airbag device 60 is provided on the panel base material 12 that constitutes the instrument panel 10. Is provided at a portion corresponding to the inflator 62 of the airbag device 60, and as a result of opening the airbag door 14, the airbag insertion port 16 is defined in the panel base material 12 (FIG. 9).
[0003]
The airbag door 14 is (1) formed separately from the panel substrate 12 and assembled to the panel substrate 12 in a later step. (2) The airbag door 14 is formed integrally with the panel substrate 12 and is always formed. Is roughly classified into a mode that constitutes a part of the panel base material 12 and the like. The airbag door 14 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is in the form (2) described above, and has a portion 18 to be cleaved along the outer edge line of the airbag door 14, and the pressing force of the airbag 64 is reduced. When it is received, a break occurs along the scheduled cleavage portion 18, thereby allowing separation from the panel base material 12 and opening to the passenger compartment. The illustrated airbag door 14 is a double-opening type including two doors, but may be a single-opening type including one door, a four-way opening type including four doors, or the like. There is.
[0004]
By the way, when the airbag device 60 is actuated, the airbag 64 is instantly inflated, and a strong impact force is applied to the airbag door 14 receiving the pressing force of the airbag 64. In some cases, there is a concern that the airbag door 14 and / or the door peripheral portion 20 adjacent thereto may be damaged. For this reason, one end side of the airbag device 60 is provided on the back side of the airbag door 14 and the back side of the door peripheral portion 20 in order to prevent breakage and scattering of the airbag door 14 and the door peripheral portion 20. The other end of the insert member 22 to be connected is connected.
[0005]
The insert member 22 is made of, for example, metal and has one end connected to the inflator 62 of the airbag device 60 and the other end connected to the back side of the door peripheral portion 20 as illustrated in FIGS. And a movable bracket 26, 26 provided inside the opening of the fixed bracket 24 and connected to the back side of the respective airbag doors 14, 14. Type). The fixing bracket 24 includes a tubular portion 28 connected to the inflator 62 and a support frame portion 30 integrally formed at an end of the tubular portion 28 and connected to the back side of the door peripheral portion 20. ing. Each of the movable brackets 26, 26 is connected to a plate-shaped fixing member 32 which is welded or screwed to the cylindrical body portion 28 of the fixed bracket 24, and is joined to the fixing member 32 by a hinge portion 34 to form a corresponding airbag. And a door support member 36 connected to the back surfaces of the doors 14, 14.
[0006]
The support frame portion 30 of the fixed bracket 24 and the door support member 36 of each of the movable brackets 26, 26 utilize a known thermal caulking technique for the door peripheral portion 20 and the airbag doors 14, 14. They are connected by a connection structure. That is, the fixing bracket 24 is caulked by inserting a plurality of first engaging projections 38 projecting from the back side of the door peripheral portion 20 into the first engaging holes 40 provided in the support frame portion 30. The first engaging projection 38, which is crushed and widened, is connected to the rear side of the door peripheral portion 20 in an engaged state. On the other hand, the door support member 36 of each movable bracket 26 is provided with a plurality (five in the illustrated example) of second engagement projections 42 projecting from the back side of the airbag door 14. By heat caulking while being inserted through the second engagement hole 44, the second engagement protrusion 42, which is crushed and widened, is connected to the back side of the airbag door 14 in an engaged state.
[0007]
In the airbag doors 14 configured as described above, when the airbag 64 starts inflating by the operation of the airbag device 60, the pressing force of the airbag 64 is applied to the door support members of the movable brackets 26, 26. When the airbag door 14 directly acts on the airbag door 36 and a pressing force acts on the airbag door 14 through the door support member 36, the portion 18 to be cleaved is broken and each airbag door 14 is separated from the panel base material 12. I will do it. Then, each airbag door 14 separated from the panel base material 12 is opened while being connected to the door support member 36 of the movable bracket 26 supported by the fixed bracket 24 (FIG. 9).
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when the door support member 36 of the movable bracket 26 of the insert member 22 is connected to the back side of the airbag door 14 by a thermal caulking technique using a caulking tool (not shown), heat is mainly generated. Due to the restriction at the time of the caulking operation (interference between the caulking tool and the fixing bracket 24, etc.), as shown in FIG. Heat caulking is considered difficult. That is, even if the second engaging projections 42 and the second engaging holes 44 are provided in the shaded display area, it is impossible to perform thermal caulking of the second engaging projections 42 with a caulking tool. It was. For this reason, the door support member 36 is connected to the airbag door 14 by the second engaging projection 42 and supports the door 14 to support the door 14. It can be conveniently divided into a non-supporting portion 36 </ b> B that is not connected to the airbag door 14. On the other hand, in the airbag door 14, the connecting portion 14A connected to the support portion 36A of the door support member 36 by the second engaging protrusion 42 extends from the second engaging protrusion 42 to the side. The door support member 36B may be divided into a non-connecting portion 14B corresponding to the non-support portion 36B and not connected to the door support member 36 for convenience.
[0009]
In such a mode of connection and support between the airbag door 14 and the door support member 36, the airbag door 14 that has received the pressing force of the airbag 64 swiftly and fully opens, and the front side of the door peripheral portion 20 11, the non-support portion 36B of the door support member 36 may bend toward the airbag door 14 due to the reaction due to the impact. When the non-supporting portion 36B is bent, the non-connecting portion 14B of the airbag door 14 pressed by the non-supporting portion 36B also bends. At this time, the portion of the door support member 36 whose strength is reduced most is the boundary portion between the support portion 36A and the non-support portion 36B, that is, the second engagement hole 44 (44A) located at the outermost end. Since this is a formation site, a line along the extending direction of the second engagement hole 44 (44A) is defined as a bent line 46, and the non-supporting portion 36B is deformed with respect to the supporting portion 36A ( (FIG. 10).
[0010]
On the other hand, in the airbag door 14, the extension of the second engaging projection 42 (42A) corresponding to the boundary between the connecting portion 14A and the non-connecting portion 14B, that is, the second engaging hole 44 (44A). The non-connecting portion 14B is deformed with respect to the connecting portion 14A by setting a line along the direction as a deformation line 48. In addition, since the stress tends to concentrate on the boundary between the second engaging projection 42 (42A) and the airbag door 14, a break may occur along the deformation line 48 in some cases, and the door support member 36 There is a possibility that the non-connecting portion 14B and other debris that are not connected to the non-supporting portion 36B separate from the connecting portion 14A and scatter.
[0011]
[Object of the invention]
The present invention has been proposed in order to preferably solve the above-described problem, and a deformation restricting portion is provided at a non-connection portion of a door support member, and a bending line in the door support member extends across the connection fixing portion. It is an object of the present invention to provide a door support member configured so as to preferably prevent breakage of an airbag door.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended object, the present invention provides an assembling method using a connection fixing portion provided on an airbag door on a rear side of an airbag door provided at a required position of a vehicle interior member. For convenience, the support portion is attached to the airbag door by the connection fixing portion, and the support portion extends laterally from the connection fixing portion and is not connected to the airbag door. In the door support member,
A deformation restricting portion that extends along the outer edge of the door support member and surrounds the connection fixing portion, extends to a required length from the non-support portion to the support portion,
A line passing through both ends of the deformation restricting portion is a bent line of the non-support portion with respect to the support portion, and the bent line extends across the connection fixing portion. .
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, a door support member according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by way of preferred embodiments. The same members and portions as those already described in the section of the related art described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11 are designated by the same reference numerals.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a door support member according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention in a fully opened state of an airbag door, and FIG. 2 shows one door support member 36 shown in FIG. It is a top view. The door support member 36 of the present embodiment constitutes a part of the movable bracket 26 of the insert member 22, similarly to the conventional one shown in FIG. The basic structure of the insert member 22 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. One end of the insert member 22 is connected to the inflator 62 of the airbag device 60 and the other end is connected to the back of the door peripheral portion 20. A fixed bracket 24 having a rectangular cylindrical shape whose sides are connected to each other, and movable brackets 26, 26 provided inside the opening of the fixed bracket 24 and connected to the back sides of the respective airbag doors 14, 14. . Each of the movable brackets 26, 26 has a plate-shaped fixing member 32 welded or screwed to the cylindrical body 28 of the fixed bracket 24, and is joined to the fixing member 32 by a hinge portion 34 to form a corresponding airbag door. 14 and a door support member 36 connected to the rear surface of the door 14.
[0015]
The door support member 36 is connected to the back side of the corresponding airbag door 14 by an engaging structure using a known thermal caulking technique. That is, on the back surface of the airbag door 14, a total of five sets of second engaging projections (connection fixing portions) 42 located at required intervals in the left-right direction (direction intersecting the opening direction) of the door 14, A total of five second engagement holes 44 are formed in the door support member 36 at required intervals in the left-right direction of the door support member 36 when the airbag door 14 is formed. It is. Therefore, the door support member 36 is heat-sealed under the condition that each of the second engaging projections 42 projecting from the airbag door 14 is inserted into the corresponding second engaging hole 44 provided in the door support member 36. As a result, the second engagement protrusion 42 crushed and widened is connected to the back side of the airbag door 14 in an engaged state.
[0016]
However, as described above, the door support member 36 is not entirely connected to the back side of the airbag door 14 due to the restriction at the time of the thermal caulking operation by the caulking tool. A support portion 36A that is connected to the bag door 14 to support the door 14 and a second engaging projection 42 (42A) located at the outermost end extend sideways and are connected to the airbag door 14. And a non-supporting portion 36B. Further, the airbag door 14 has a connecting portion 14A connected to the support portion 36A of the door support member 36 by the second engaging protrusion 42 and a second engaging protrusion 42 ( 42A) and extends to the side to correspond to the non-supporting portion 36B and is conveniently divided into a non-connecting portion 14B not connected to the door supporting member 36.
[0017]
Then, in the door support member 36 of the embodiment, along the outer edge of the door support member 36, the door support member 36 extends so as to surround the edge of the second engaging projection 42 (42A) as the connection fixing portion located at the outermost end. The existing deformation restricting portion 50 is extended to a required length from the non-support portion 36B to the support portion 36A. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the deformation restricting portion 50 is integrally formed at a portion along the outer edge of the door support member 36, and has an elongated bulging portion (having a substantially semicircular cross section). This is also referred to as a “bead portion”, and has a deformed U-shape that is close to an L-shape extending from the hinge end side to the open end side of the door support member 36. When the formation position of the deformation restricting portion 50 is defined in more detail, the deformation restricting portion 50 has one end 52 located in the area of the non-support portion 36B and the other end 54 having the support end. It is formed so as to be located in the area of the portion 36A. That is, the one end 52 located on the hinge end side of the door support member 36 is located in the area of the non-support portion 36B, and the other end located on the open end side of the door support member 36. 54 are located in the region of the support portion 36A. As a result, since the deformation restricting portion 50 extends along both side corners of the open end where the strength of the door support member 36 is the lowest, the strength of the corner is preferably improved. .
[0018]
Therefore, in the door support member 36 of the embodiment, the rigidity of the region where the deformation restricting portion 50 is formed to extend, that is, the region indicated by hatching in FIG. 2 is improved, and the region including the non-support portion 36B is improved. (Partial deformation, bending deformation, and torsional deformation) are restricted. Since the rigidity of the shaded area including the non-support portion 36B is improved, the rigidity of the area along the edge of the area is relatively reduced. A line passing through both ends 52 and 54 of the portion 50 is a bent line 46 of the non-support portion 36B with respect to the support portion 36A (FIG. 3).
[0019]
Moreover, the deformation restricting portion 50 is arranged such that one end portion 52 on the hinge end side is located in the area of the non-supporting portion 36B and the other end portion 54 on the open end side is located in the area of the supporting portion 36A. The bent line 46 passing through the ends 52 and 54 is connected to the second engaging projection 42 (42A) and the second engaging hole 44 (44A) located at the outermost end. ) Extends obliquely. Therefore, the bending deformation of the door support member 36 that may occur when the fully opened airbag door 14 collides with the front side of the door peripheral portion 20 is a so-called “C” shape from the hinge end side to the open end side. Is to be presented.
[0020]
On the other hand, the airbag door 14 connected to the door support member 36 is deformed into substantially the same shape as the door support member 36 that is deformed into a C shape. That is, the non-connecting portion 14B and the connecting portion 14A of the airbag door 14 are lines extending along the bending line 46 of the door support member 36, that is, the second engaging projection piece located at the outermost end. 42 (42A) can be bent and deformed along a deformation line 48 extending diagonally across. However, the second engaging projection 42 is a rib integrally formed on the back side of the airbag door 14, and furthermore, the head is widened and deformed by heat caulking and is attached to the door support member 36. , Has a considerable rigidity and is hardly deformed. For this reason, the bending deformation of the non-connection portion 14B and the connection portion 14A along the deformation line 48 that crosses the second engagement projection 42 is actually very unlikely to occur. This prevents the door support member 36 from being bent and deformed.
[0021]
Furthermore, since the extending direction of the second engaging projection 42 and the extending direction of the bending line 46 do not match, when the non-connection portion 14B is pressed by the non-support portion 36B, the The stress does not concentrate on the boundary between the two engaging projections 42 (42A) and the airbag door 14. This prevents the airbag door 14 from breaking at this boundary, and does not cause the inconvenience that the non-connecting portion 14B and other fragments are separated from the connecting portion 14A and scattered.
[0022]
As described above, in the door support member 36 of the present embodiment, the non-support portion 36B is deformed with respect to the support portion 36A by providing the required length of the deformation restricting portion 50 from the non-support portion 36B to the support portion 36A. In this case, the bending line 46 extends obliquely across the second engaging projection 42 having the highest rigidity in the airbag door 14. Thereby, in the airbag door 14 connected to the door support member 36, the deformation line 48 when the non-connection portion 14B is deformed with respect to the connection portion 14A extends across the second engagement projection 42. Therefore, the deformation of the airbag door 14 itself can be largely controlled. Therefore, breakage of the airbag door 14 is prevented, and the inconvenience that fragments of the door 14 are scattered can be suitably prevented.
[0023]
In the above-described embodiment, the deformation restricting portion 50 is formed to extend in a deformed U-shape close to an L-shape, but the form of the deformation restricting portion 50 is not limited to this. That is, assuming that the deformation restricting portion 50 extends along the outer edge of the door support member 36 and surrounds the edge of the second engaging projection 42 (42A) located at the outermost end, for example, As shown in FIG. 6, it may be formed so as to extend in a substantially L-shape. Even when the deformation regulating portion 50 is formed to extend in this manner, one end 52 is located in the region of the non-support portion 36B, and the other end 54 is located in the region of the support portion 36A. Therefore, the bending line 46 passing through the ends 52 and 54 obliquely crosses the second engaging projection 42 (42A) and the second engaging hole 44 (44A) located at the outermost end. And the deformation line 48 of the airbag door 14 also extends obliquely across the second engaging projection 42 (42A) located at the outermost end, and is equivalent to the above-described embodiment. Will have the effect.
[0024]
It is desirable that the respective deformation restricting portions 50, 50 formed at the left and right ends of the door support member 36 are not connected to each other at least on the open end side. That is, when the ends 54, 54 of the respective deformation restricting portions 50, 50 are connected to each other, the overall rigidity of the door support member 36 is improved more than necessary, and the operation of the airbag device 60 Even if the pressing force of the inflating airbag 64 is applied to the door support member 36, there is a concern that the pressing force is not appropriately applied to the airbag door 14. In such a case, there is a possibility that the opening of the airbag door 14 may be hindered because the breakable portion 18 does not break in a timely manner.
[0025]
The door support member of the present application is not limited to the one connected to the airbag door 14 provided on the instrument panel 10 shown in FIG. 7. For example, an airbag door for a side airbag provided on a door trim, a pillar It is also intended to be connected to an airbag door for a garnish or a curtain airbag provided on a roof side panel.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the door support member of the present invention, by providing the required length of the deformation restricting portion from the non-support portion to the support portion, when the non-support portion is deformed with respect to the support portion. The folding line is configured to extend across the connection fixing portion of the airbag door where the rigidity is highest. As a result, in the airbag door connected to the door support member, the deformation line extends across the connection fixing portion, so that there is an advantage that the deformation of the airbag door itself can be largely restricted. . Accordingly, the airbag door is prevented from being damaged, and advantageous effects such as the inconvenience of fragments of the door being scattered can be suitably prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a door support member according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention when an airbag door is fully opened.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one door support member shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing one side end portion of the door support member and the airbag door, wherein a bent line of the door support member and a deformation line of the airbag door are located at the outermost end; It extends so as to obliquely cross the second engaging projection piece.
FIG. 4
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.
5A is a sectional view taken along line Va-Va of FIG. 3, FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along line Vb-Vb of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along line Vc-Vc of FIG.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a door support member according to a modification.
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of an instrument panel provided with an airbag door.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a door support member according to a conventional example with an airbag door fully opened.
FIG. 10 is a plan view showing one door support member shown in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 10;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Instrument panel (vehicle interior parts)
14 Airbag door 36 Door support member 36A Support portion 36B Non-support portion 42 Second engaging projection (connection fixing portion)
42A 2nd engaging projection piece located at the outermost end (connection fixing portion)
46 Bending line 48 Deformation line 50 Deformation restricting part 52 One end 54 The other end

Claims (4)

The connection is secured to the back side of the airbag door (14) provided at a required position of the vehicle interior member (10) by using connection fixing portions (42, 42A) provided on the airbag door (14). A support portion (36A) connected to the airbag door (14) by a fixing portion (42, 42A); and a lateral portion extending from the connection fixing portion (42A) to be connected to the airbag door (14). A door support member (36), which can be conveniently divided into a non-support portion (36B) that is not
A deformation regulating portion (50) extending along the outer edge of the door support member (36) and surrounding the connection fixing portion (42A) extends from the non-support portion (36B) to the support portion (36A). To the required length,
A line passing through both ends of the deformation restricting portion (50) is a bent line (46) of the non-support portion (36B) with respect to the support portion (36A), and the bent line (46) is connected and fixed. A door support member configured to extend across a portion (42A). One end (52) of the deformation restricting portion (50) is located at the non-supporting portion (36B), and the other end (54) of the deformation restricting portion (50) is formed of the supporting portion (52). 36A), whereby the bending line (46) passing through both ends (52, 54) extends obliquely across the connection fixing part (42A). Door support member. The door support member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deformation restricting portion (50) is an elongated bulge formed integrally with the door support member (36). The non-supporting portion (36B) and the supporting portion (36A) are bent at the bending line (46) so as to be bent at the deformation line (48) extending across the connection fixing portion (42A). 4. The door support according to claim 1, wherein the airbag door is deformable.

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