JP6361392B2 - Emergency call system controller mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a controller mounting structure for an emergency call system that automatically notifies a customer center or the like when a vehicle accident occurs.

  Conventionally, an instrument panel is provided in the front part of a passenger compartment of an automobile or the like, and an ornament that becomes a top panel facing the front window glass and a design panel is located at a position facing the passenger seat of the instrument panel. A glove box for storing small items is arranged. In addition, various communication devices, electrical devices, and the like are arranged in an internal empty space located on the back side of the top surface portion of the instrument panel (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  By the way, some recent vehicles have an emergency call system that automatically notifies a customer center when a vehicle accident occurs, and the emergency call system is a collision for an airbag module. It has a controller (electronic device) having a communication function for receiving signals from sensors and transmitting to a customer center.

JP 2002-347526 A JP 2004-203305 A

However, when the controller of the emergency call system is placed in an empty space behind the top panel of the instrument panel, such as the communication equipment and electrical equipment described above, the top panel receives direct sunlight from the front windshield. As the temperature rises, the surface temperature of the controller in the emergency call system also rises and is exposed to high temperatures, which may adversely affect the controller and cause a failure of the controller. Moreover, since the top surface is formed integrally with the instrument panel, the top surface cannot be removed from the instrument panel, and the battery must be replaced when the controller battery needs to be replaced. There was a problem that it was very difficult and maintenance was very bad.
Also, if you place the emergency call system controller in an empty space on the back side other than the top panel of the instrument panel, the controller will be exposed when you remove the parts for audio device replacement, etc. The user can easily touch the controller, and the user's careless contact may impact the controller, causing a malfunction of the controller. In addition, depending on the location of the controller, there is a risk that the controller will be impacted by an occupant in the event of an accident, causing the controller to break.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and its purpose is to suppress an increase in the surface temperature of the controller due to direct sunlight from the front window glass, and to prevent adverse effects on the controller due to exposure to high temperatures. It is an object of the present invention to provide a controller mounting structure for an emergency call system capable of improving the maintainability such as battery replacement and repair of the controller and parts replacement.

  In order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a removable design panel that is disposed at a position facing the passenger seat of an instrument panel and is formed separately from the main body of the instrument panel. The controller of the emergency call system is arranged in a space portion that is attached to the main body of the instrument panel and is covered by the design panel and located on the back side of the main body of the instrument panel.

  In the present invention, the controller is arranged at a higher position in the vertical direction of the vehicle with respect to the steering support member extending along the vehicle width direction.

  Further, in the present invention, the controller is disposed behind the front passenger airbag module in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the position of the controller is such that the airbag deployed by the passenger airbag module is located on the instrument panel. When the airbag is inflated along the design panel, the airbag is deployed along the design panel covering the area where the controller is disposed.

  In the present invention, a first bracket that extends rearward of the vehicle is fixed to the steering support member, and a second bracket that supports the controller is provided behind the first bracket, and the controller Is attached to the first bracket via the second bracket.

  In the present invention, the passenger seat airbag module is attached to the first bracket.

  Further, in the present invention, a front end portion of the second bracket is fixed to the first bracket, and a rear end portion of the second bracket is fixed to the main body of the instrument panel.

  And in this invention, metal plate-shaped reinforcement components are arrange | positioned between the back surface of the said design panel, and the said controller.

  In the present invention, the plate-like reinforcing component is fixed to the main body side of the instrument panel, and the controller is covered with the plate-like reinforcing component even when the design panel is removed.

  As described above, the controller mounting structure of the emergency call system according to the present invention is disposed at a position facing the passenger seat of the instrument panel, and is a removable design formed separately from the main body of the instrument panel. Since the controller of the emergency call system is disposed in the space located on the back side of the main body of the instrument panel covered with the design panel, the panel is attached to the main body of the instrument panel. Compared to the conventional example placed behind the top surface of the instrument panel, it can be made less susceptible to the increase in controller surface temperature due to direct sunlight from the windshield, and is exposed to high temperatures. To prevent various negative effects on the controller Kill. Moreover, in the mounting structure of the present invention, by removing the design panel from the main body of the instrument panel, operations such as battery replacement and repair of the controller and parts replacement can be easily performed, and the maintenance is excellent.

  Further, in the present invention, the controller is disposed at a high position in the vertical direction of the vehicle with respect to the steering support member extending along the vehicle width direction, so that the communication radio wave is transmitted to a customer center or the like. It is possible to eliminate the risk of being blocked by the steering support member of the metal part, and the communication of the controller can be performed reliably.

  Further, in the present invention, the controller is disposed behind the front passenger airbag module in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the position of the controller is such that the airbag deployed by the passenger airbag module is located on the instrument panel. When the airbag is inflated, the air bag is deployed along the design panel covering the area where the controller is disposed, so that the passenger's head in the passenger seat faces the instrument panel when the vehicle collides. Even when approaching, the occupant's head is received by the inflated airbag and can avoid colliding with the design panel. Therefore, according to the mounting structure of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an impact load generated when a passenger's head or the like collides with the controller disposed in the space covered with the design panel from being input to the controller. It becomes possible, and in the event of a collision where the airbag is deployed, it is possible to prevent the controller from malfunctioning and to notify the customer center etc. reliably.

  In the present invention, a first bracket that extends rearward of the vehicle is fixed to the steering support member, and a second bracket that supports the controller is provided behind the first bracket, and the controller Is attached to the first bracket via the second bracket, so that the controller can be attached via the first bracket fixed to the steering support member having high rigidity, and the controller is stably supported. be able to. In addition, even if a deformation occurs that causes the front part of the vehicle body to collapse toward the rear of the vehicle in the event of a frontal collision, the steering support member is located in front of the controller's vehicle, so the deformation of the front part of the vehicle body can be It can be prevented from reaching the location, and damage or failure of the controller at the time of collision can be prevented.

  In the present invention, since the passenger seat airbag module is attached to the first bracket, the number of parts, weight, and cost can be reduced compared to the case where the bracket is provided in each of the controller and the airbag module. In addition to the reduction, the positional accuracy of the airbag module relative to the controller can be increased. Moreover, as described above, the controller placement space is reliably protected when the airbag is deployed, and both the controller and the airbag module are fixed to the same bracket even when the steering support member is deformed in the event of a collision. Therefore, the controller and the airbag module can be prevented from being separated from each other and separated, and the protective effect of the airbag can be surely obtained.

  In the present invention, the front end of the second bracket is fixed to the first bracket, and the rear end of the second bracket is fixed to the main body of the instrument panel. While the front end is fixed to the rigid first bracket, the rear end of the second bracket is fixed to the main body of the resin instrument panel. Even when moving or deforming, the fixed part on the instrument panel side, which is easily deformed, absorbs the movement of the second bracket and can reduce the impact load on the controller. Can be prevented.

  And in this invention, since the metal plate-shaped reinforcement component is arrange | positioned between the back surface of the said design panel and the said controller, protecting a controller from the impact load of a passenger | crew hitting a design panel, etc. Can do. On the other hand, in specifications where parts such as the controller are not placed inside the instrument panel, a large cavity is created inside the instrument panel, so that the design panel deforms greatly when an impact load is applied to the design panel. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the damage of the design panel from being caused by the reinforcing component.

  In the present invention, the plate-like reinforcing component is fixed to the main body side of the instrument panel, and the controller is covered with the plate-like reinforcing component even when the design panel is removed. Even if the design panel is removed from the instrument panel body when replacing the instrument panel, etc., the controller can be hidden with reinforcement parts without exposing it, preventing the user from accidentally touching the controller and giving an impact. be able to. In addition, the instrument panel body can be protected from impacts such as hitting the instrument panel body when the audio device is replaced.

It is a perspective view which shows the instrument panel of the vehicle to which the mounting structure of the controller of the emergency call system which concerns on embodiment of this invention is applied from the vehicle rear side. It is a perspective view which shows the controller, plate-shaped reinforcement component, and ornament in the state before attaching to the main body of the instrument panel in FIG. It is a front view which expands and shows the X section in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3, showing the positional relationship between the controller and its peripheral components and the positional relationship between the controller and its peripheral components and the inflated airbag. It is a top view which shows the controller arrange | positioned on the back side of the main body of an instrument panel in the state which removed the ornament. It is the perspective view seen from the arrow B direction in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st bracket and 2nd bracket which are fixed to the main body and steering support member of the instrument panel in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd bracket in FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which removed the ornament from the main body of the instrument panel in FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.
FIGS. 1-9 shows the attachment structure of the controller of the emergency call system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a front window glass 1 is disposed to be inclined toward the vehicle front side of a vehicle interior R at a vehicle body front portion of a vehicle to which the structure according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. An instrument panel 2 having an instrument panel main body 2a of a large resin part is provided at the vehicle lower position of the front window glass 1 over the entire width in the vehicle width direction. At the position facing the passenger seat side (right side in the figure) of the instrument panel 2, there is an uppermost top surface portion 21 facing the front windshield 1, an ornament 22 below the top surface portion 21, and the ornament A glove box 23 for storing small items on the lower side than 22 is disposed. The ornament 22 is a removable design panel formed separately from the instrument panel main body 2a, and an emergency call system (for example, on the back side of the opening 24 of the instrument panel main body 2a covered by the ornament 22). , A space portion S in which a controller 3 having a product name “E-CALL (E-CALL)” is disposed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 7, a steering support member 4 extending along the vehicle width direction is built in the instrument panel 2 of the present embodiment. The steering support member 4 is a metal part having rigidity mainly configured by connecting pipe members having different thicknesses and connecting flange-shaped coupling brackets to both left and right ends in the vehicle width direction. The instrument panel 2 is attached to the front part of the vehicle body via the steering support member 4 by fixing the coupling brackets at the left and right ends to the vehicle body side part.
The steering support member 4 is also provided with audio devices (not shown) built in the instrument panel 2, a passenger seat airbag module 5 and the like via brackets described later. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the passenger seat airbag module 5 is provided on the back side of the top surface portion 21 of the instrument panel 2 positioned in front of the passenger seat in which the passenger sits in the vehicle interior R of the vehicle. The airbag 51 of the airbag module 5 is provided so that it can be inflated and deployed along the instrument panel body 2a and the ornament 22 while facing the vehicle interior R side. Therefore, the airbag module 5 includes a box-shaped airbag case 52 that is attached to a bracket, which will be described later, an inflator 53 that is fixed to the bottom of the airbag case 52 and has an upper portion disposed in the case, and an airbag case 52. And a bag airbag 51 that is housed and arranged in a folded state on the outer periphery of the inflator 53 and that inflates and deploys toward the occupant side when the gas is supplied from the inflator 53 to protect the occupant from impact loads. Has been.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the controller 3 of the emergency call system according to the present embodiment is disposed at a high position in the vertical direction of the vehicle with respect to the steering support member 4. This is because, in the case of an electronic device such as the controller 3, when a thick metal part such as the steering support member 4 is disposed above the controller 3, the controller 3 May interfere with the radio waves. Therefore, by arranging the controller 3 at a position higher than the steering support member 4, the communication radio wave transmitted to the customer center or the like is not blocked by the steering support member 4, so that the communication of the controller 3 is reliably performed. It is configured.
On the other hand, the controller 3 is disposed in the space S away from the top surface portion 21 of the instrument panel 2, and compared with the conventional example disposed on the back side of the top surface portion 21, it is influenced by direct sunlight from the front window glass 1. It is configured to make it difficult to receive. As a result, an increase in the surface temperature of the controller 3 is suppressed, various adverse effects caused by exposure to high temperatures are prevented, and a failure of the controller 3 is avoided.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the controller 3 of the present embodiment is disposed on the rear side (vehicle interior R side) in the vehicle front-rear direction with respect to the position where the passenger seat airbag module 5 is disposed. Has been. Moreover, the controller 3 is positioned so that when the airbag 51 deployed by the airbag module 5 is inflated along the instrument panel 2, the airbag 51 is deployed along the ornament 22 that covers the area where the controller 3 is disposed. Is arranged.
With this arrangement, even if the head of an occupant seated in the passenger seat approaches the instrument panel 2 at the time of a vehicle collision, the occupant's head is received by the inflated airbag 51, and the ornament 22 is reached. Collisions will be avoided. As a result, the impact load such as the head of the passenger is not input to the controller 3 disposed in the space S covered with the ornament 22, and the controller 3 cannot report to the customer center or the like. The failure can be prevented.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the controller 3 according to the present embodiment is attached to the steering support member 4 having high rigidity via a pair of left and right first brackets 6 arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction. It has been. Each of the first brackets 6 is disposed so as to extend toward the rear of the vehicle, and is formed in an inverted U shape with the opening portion disposed downward. The front end portion 6a of the first bracket 6 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the steering support member 4 by welding or the like, and the rear end portion 6b of the first bracket 6 is bent at a substantially right angle with the outer side portion facing outward of the vehicle. It is formed in an L shape in plan view. A second bracket 7 that supports the controller 3 is provided behind the first bracket 6. The controller 3 is attached to the first bracket 6 via the second bracket 7.
That is, the controller 3 is stably supported by the steering support member 4 via the first bracket 6 and the second bracket 7 and the steering support member 4 is disposed in front of the controller 3 in the vehicle. Even if a deformation occurs that causes the front part of the vehicle body to be crushed toward the rear of the vehicle at the time of a frontal collision, the deformation of the front part of the vehicle body does not reach the place where the controller 3 is disposed, It has a structure that doesn't.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the second bracket 7 of the present embodiment has a plate-like shape extending in the vehicle width direction over a length corresponding to the distance between the rear end portions 6 b of the pair of left and right first brackets 6. The bracket body 71 has left and right side portions of the bracket body 71 extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the rear end portion 6b of the first bracket 6 and the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel body 2a. Front and rear end portions 7a and 7b of the second bracket 7 are formed. The front end portions 7a on both the left and right sides of the second bracket 7 are bent at a substantially right angle toward the upper side of the vehicle. The front end portion 7a is overlapped with the rear end portion 6b of the first bracket 6 and tightened with bolts and nuts. By tightening with a tool, the front end portion 7a of the second bracket 7 is fixed to the rear end portion 6b of the first bracket. Further, the rear end portion 7b of the second bracket 7 is bent in an inclined surface shape that is inclined downward toward the rear of the vehicle. The rear end portion 7b is overlapped with the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel main body 2a, and bolts and By tightening with a fastener such as a nut, the rear end portion 7b of the second bracket 7 is fixed to the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel main body 2a. Therefore, the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel main body 2a is provided at an interval and a size corresponding to the rear end portion 7b of the second bracket 7, and is formed in an inclined surface shape that inclines upward toward the front of the vehicle. Yes.
Accordingly, the second bracket 7 is fixed to the rear end portion 6b of the first bracket 6 having the rigid front end portion 7a, while the rear end portion 7b is fixed to the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel body 2a made of resin. Will be. For this reason, even when the steering support member 4 slightly moves or deforms rearward in the event of a collision from the front of the vehicle, the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel main body 2a that is easily deformed is The amount of movement is absorbed by deformation, the impact load applied to the controller 3 through the first bracket 6 and the second bracket 7 is reduced, and the breakage of the fixed portion 25 is prevented.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a passenger seat airbag module 5 is attached to the first bracket 6 of the present embodiment. For this reason, at the bottom of the airbag case 52 of the airbag module 5, the base end portion of the fixed bracket 54 that is bent so as to extend toward the first bracket 6 and overlap the upper surface of the first bracket 6 is provided. The airbag module 5 is attached to the first bracket 6 by fastening the front end of the fixed bracket 54 to the upper surface.
In this way, the structure in which the airbag module 5 is attached to the same first bracket 6 as that of the controller 3 is a component rather than the case where a dedicated bracket is provided for each of the controller 3 and the airbag module 5 and attached to each bracket. This is because the number of points, weight, cost, and the like are reduced, and the relative positional accuracy of the airbag module 5 with respect to the controller 3 is increased. Further, the space portion S of the controller 3 is secured when the airbag 51 of the airbag module 5 is deployed, and both the controller 3 and the airbag module 5 are used even when the steering support member 4 is deformed in the event of a collision. Is fixed to the same first bracket 6, the controller 3 and the airbag module 5 are prevented from being separated or separated from each other, and the protective effect of the airbag 51 can be reliably obtained.

On the other hand, between the back surface of the ornament 22 and the controller 3, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 9, the metal plate-like reinforcing component 8 is disposed to be inclined along the back surface of the ornament 22. In addition, the length of the plate-like reinforcing component 8 in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction is formed larger than the length of the controller 3 in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction, and the vehicle rear side of the controller 3 is the plate-like reinforcing component. 8 is covered. Further, the left and right side portions of the plate-like reinforcing component 8 extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle, are larger than the length of the ornament 22 in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and are formed so that the upper and lower end portions 8a and 8b are positioned outside the ornament 22. Has been. And the plate-shaped reinforcement component 8 is being fixed to the instrument panel main body 2a side by joining the upper-lower-end parts 8a and 8b with fixing tools, such as a pin. In addition, an uneven portion extending in the vehicle width direction is formed in the vertical direction at the intermediate portion of the plate-like reinforcing component 8, so that the rigidity of the plate-like reinforcing component 8 is enhanced.
When the plate-like reinforcing component 8 having such a positional relationship and size is arranged, the controller 3 is covered by the plate-like reinforcing component 8 and the controller 3 is protected from the impact load applied to the ornament 22. Become. In addition, in the instrument panel 2 having such a specification that parts such as the controller 3 are not arranged inside the instrument panel main body 2a, when a large cavity is generated inside the instrument panel 2, an impact load from the outside is generated. Even if added, the ornament 22 is not greatly deformed and damaged by the presence of the plate-like reinforcing component 8. Further, the plate-like reinforcing component 8 is fixed to the instrument panel main body 2a instead of the ornament 22, and the controller 3 is covered with the plate-like reinforcing component 8 even when the ornament 22 is removed. When exchanging etc., the user and the audio device will not accidentally hit the controller 3 and the instrument panel body 2a and give an impact.

  In the mounting structure of the controller 3 of the emergency call system according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is arranged at a position facing the passenger seat of the instrument panel 2 provided with the instrument panel body 2a, and is separate from the instrument panel body 2a. A removable ornament 22 formed on the instrument panel body 2a is attached to the instrument panel body 2a, and the controller 3 of the emergency call system is disposed in a space S located on the back side of the instrument panel body 2a covered by the ornament 22. Therefore, compared with the conventional example arrange | positioned in the back side of the top | upper surface part 21 of the instrument panel 2 which faces the front window glass 1, it is hard to receive the direct sunlight from the front window glass 1, and suppresses the raise of the surface temperature of the controller 3. And can be exposed to high temperatures. Such as the failure of the controller 3, which occurs Te can be prevented.

Further, in the mounting structure of the present invention, the ornament 22 is structured to be removable from the instrument panel main body 2a. Therefore, the ornament 22 is removed from the instrument panel main body 2a during work, and the opening 24 of the instrument panel main body 2a. Thus, it is possible to easily perform operations such as battery replacement and repair of the controller 3 and parts replacement, and has excellent maintainability.
Furthermore, in the mounting structure of the present invention, the controller 3 is disposed on the rear side of the passenger seat airbag module 5 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the airbag 51 is inflated and deployed along the instrument panel body 2 a and the ornament 22. And the position where the controller 3 is arranged, so that even if the head of the occupant approaches the instrument panel 2 at the time of a vehicle collision, the occupant's head is inflated and deployed on the airbag 51. It is possible to avoid being caught and collide with the ornament 22, and as a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an impact load is input to the controller 3 through the ornament 22.

  While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the controller 3 of the emergency call system is attached to the first bracket 6 via the second bracket 7, but is positioned on the back side of the instrument panel body 2 a covered with the ornament 22. If the space portion S is to be fixed, the fixing portion 25 of the instrument panel main body 2a is fixed to the fixing bracket 54 of the passenger seat airbag module 5, and the controller 3 is placed on the fixing portion 25 of the fixed instrument panel main body 2a. Even in the case of fixing, the same effects can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front window glass 2 Instrument panel 2a Instrument panel main body 3 Controller of emergency call system 4 Steering support member 5 Airbag module for front passenger seat 6 1st bracket 6a Front end 6b Rear end 7 Second bracket 7a Front end 7b Rear End 8 Plate-shaped reinforcing part 8a Upper end 8b Lower end 21 Top surface 22 Ornament (design panel)
24 Opening 25 Fixed part 51 Airbag 52 Airbag case 54 Fixed bracket R Car interior S Space part

Claims (8)

A removable design panel, which is arranged at a position facing the passenger seat of the instrument panel and is formed separately from the main body of the instrument panel, is attached to the main body of the instrument panel,
The controller structure for an emergency call system, wherein the controller for the emergency call system is arranged in a space located on the back side of the instrument panel body covered with the design panel.   The controller of the emergency call system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is disposed at a high position in a vertical direction of the vehicle with respect to a steering support member extending along the vehicle width direction. Mounting structure.   The controller is disposed behind the front passenger airbag module in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the position of the controller is determined when the airbag deployed by the passenger airbag module is inflated along the instrument panel. The controller mounting structure for an emergency call system according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is deployed at a position along the design panel that covers a range where the controller is disposed.   A first bracket that extends rearward of the vehicle is fixed to the steering support member, and a second bracket that supports the controller is provided behind the first bracket, and the controller includes the second bracket. The controller mounting structure for an emergency call system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the controller mounting structure is attached to the first bracket via a bracket.   5. The controller mounting structure for an emergency call system according to claim 4, wherein the passenger seat airbag module is mounted on the first bracket.   The front end portion of the second bracket is fixed to the first bracket, and the rear end portion of the second bracket is fixed to a main body of the instrument panel. Structure of the emergency call system controller.   The controller mounting structure for an emergency call system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a metal plate-like reinforcing component is disposed between the back surface of the design panel and the controller. .   The said plate-shaped reinforcement component is fixed to the main body side of the said instrument panel, and the said controller is covered with the said plate-shaped reinforcement component also in the state which removed the said design panel. Structure of the emergency call system controller.

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