VEHICLE DASHBOARD PREVENTING THE TRANSFORMATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD EQUIPMENT INTO A PROJECTILE DURING AN IMPACT
The dashboard's internal housings secure thin equipment during impacts, preventing it from becoming a projectile and causing injuries by allowing it to be introduced into the housings, addressing the issue of detached equipment in vehicle compartments.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2021008901
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-08-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-18
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-08-25
AI Technical Summary
Thin equipment such as side rearview screens or smartphones secured to vehicle side doors become detached during a lateral impact, transforming into projectiles and causing injuries to passengers.
A dashboard with internal housings at its ends, allowing partial or complete introduction of the equipment into these housings during an impact, preventing it from becoming a projectile.
Prevents thin equipment from becoming a projectile, thereby reducing the risk of passenger injuries during impacts by securing it within the dashboard's housings.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: VEHICLE DASHBOARD PREVENTING THE TRANSFORMATION OF A NEIGHBORHOOD EQUIPMENT INTO A PROJECTILE DURING AN IMPACT Technical field of the invention
[0001] The invention relates to vehicles comprising a passenger compartment partially delimited by two right and left side doors, and more precisely to the dashboards which equip the passenger compartments of such vehicles. State of the art
[0002] Certain vehicles, generally land vehicles, comprise a passenger compartment which is partly delimited by two right and left side doors respectively comprising reception areas, at least one of which can accommodate thin equipment, such as for example a side rearview screen, a smart phone (or "smartphone") or a navigation aid device.
[0003] When a thin piece of equipment is a side rearview screen, it is fixedly and permanently secured to the trim panel of its side door. This securing is generally done by screwing in the receiving area, which means that it is of quality in the absence of impact suffered by the vehicle.
[0004] When a thin piece of equipment is a smartphone or a navigation aid device, it is temporarily secured to the trim panel of its side door. This securing is generally done via a support onto which the thin piece of equipment is clipped and which is temporarily or permanently attached to the reception area of the trim panel.
[0005] However, when the vehicle is subjected to an impact, in particular a lateral impact, which causes a portion of the side door comprising at least the receiving area to be forced into its passenger compartment, it frequently happens that the thin equipment becomes detached from its receiving area and becomes a projectile in the passenger compartment, which can cause injuries to the passenger(s). It will be understood that this detachment results from the impact by the depressed side door and / or the added support of the neighboring end of the dashboard.
[0006] The invention therefore aims in particular to improve the situation, and more precisely to prevent the thin equipment from transforming into a projectile upon impact. Presentation of the invention
[0007] It proposes in particular for this purpose a dashboard suitable for equipping a passenger compartment of a vehicle and comprising two opposite ends and intended to be placed near respectively the areas receiving side doors of the vehicle, one of which at least can accommodate slim equipment.
[0008] This dashboard is characterized by the fact that at least one of its ends comprises an internal housing having an opening intended to be placed in the extension of the corresponding reception zone in order to allow at least partial introduction of the equipment which is received by this reception zone in the event of a side door part comprising at least this reception zone being forced into the passenger compartment, during an impact.
[0009] This penetration of the thin equipment into the corresponding internal housing makes it possible to prevent it from becoming a projectile in the passenger compartment when it becomes detached from its reception area, and therefore from causing injuries to passenger(s).
[0010] The dashboard according to the invention may include other characteristics which may be taken separately or in combination, and in particular:
[0011] - each of its ends may comprise an internal housing;
[0012] - each end comprising an internal housing may also comprise a lateral extension extending an upper face towards a strip of a trim panel of the neighboring side door and above its internal housing, so as to slide on this strip when pushed in while defining an upper stop forcing the thin equipment to enter this internal housing;
[0013] - each internal housing may be intended to extend in a direction sen possibly parallel to a transverse direction of the vehicle;
[0014] - each internal housing may be intended to extend in a direction sen possibly parallel to a vertical direction of the vehicle;
[0015] - each internal housing can be adapted to accommodate at least part of a equipment that is chosen from a side rearview screen, a smartphone and a navigation aid device.
[0016] The invention also proposes a vehicle comprising a passenger compartment delimited in part by two right and left side doors respectively comprising reception areas, at least one of which can accommodate thin equipment.
[0017] This vehicle is characterized by the fact that its passenger compartment includes a dashboard of the type presented above and the two opposite ends of which are placed near the reception areas respectively.
[0018] The vehicle according to the invention may include other characteristics which may be taken separately or in combination, and in particular:
[0019] - at least one of the reception areas may comprise a flexible retaining part so as to allow the temporary installation and uninstallation of thin equipment;
[0020] - in the presence of the first option, each retaining part can be a metal blade metal comprising a first end which is bent so as to define a first open housing in which the thin equipment can translate while being laterally retained, and a second end which is opposite this first end and folded so as to define, on the one hand, a second open housing in which the thin equipment can translate while being laterally retained, and, on the other hand, a terminal tab actuable by a user to deform it reversibly during installation or uninstallation of this thin equipment;
[0021] - it can be of the automobile type. Brief description of the figures
[0022] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description below, and the attached drawings (obtained in CAD / CAM (“Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Drawing”)), in which:
[0023] [Fig-1] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the interior side, a first example of a left side door of a vehicle comprising thin equipment of a first type and located next to a left end of an exemplary embodiment of a dashboard according to the invention, before an impact,
[0024] [Fig.2] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the interior side, a second example of a left side vehicle door comprising thin equipment of a second type and located next to a left end of an example embodiment of a dashboard according to the invention, before an impact,
[0025] [Fig.3] schematically illustrates, in a first perspective view from the interior side, the relative positioning of a thin piece of equipment of the second type with respect to the opening of an internal housing of a left end of an exemplary embodiment of a dashboard according to the invention, before an impact,
[0026] [Fig.4] schematically illustrates, in a second perspective view from the interior side, the relative positioning of a thin piece of equipment of the second type with respect to the opening of an internal housing of a left end of an exemplary embodiment of a dashboard according to the invention, before an impact,
[0027] [Fig.5] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view, an example of the embodiment of a retaining part of a thin piece of equipment of the second type before it equips a reception area of a side door of a vehicle,
[0028] [Fig.6] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the inside, the start of the introduction of a thin piece of equipment of the second type into an internal housing of a left end of an exemplary embodiment of a dashboard according to the invention, when its left side door is pushed into the passenger compartment during an impact, and
[0029] [Fig.7] schematically illustrates, in a perspective view from the interior side, the relative position of the thin equipment of [Fig.6] with respect to the dashboard after the shock. Detailed description of the invention
[0030] The invention aims in particular to propose a dashboard PDB intended to equip a passenger compartment H of a vehicle V and making it possible to prevent a thin piece of equipment EQ installed in a reception area ZA of a side door PL of this vehicle V from transforming into a projectile during an impact.
[0031] In the following, it is considered, by way of non-limiting example, that the dashboard PDB is intended to be part of a vehicle V of the automobile type, such as for example a car. But the invention is not limited to this type of vehicle. It in fact concerns any vehicle comprising a passenger compartment delimited in part by two right and left side doors respectively comprising zones of which at least one can accommodate thin equipment.
[0032] In Figures 1 to 7, the X direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle V, which is parallel to the lateral sides comprising the side doors, the Y direction is the transverse direction of the vehicle V, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X, and the Z direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle V, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal directions X and transverse directions Y.
[0033] Figures 1 and 2 schematically illustrate two exemplary embodiments of a left side door PL equipping a vehicle V and partially delimiting a passenger compartment H of the latter (V) in which an exemplary embodiment of a dashboard PDB according to the invention is installed, before an impact. What differentiates these two examples of side door PL is the fact that the first ([Fig.l]) comprises a reception zone ZA in which a thin piece of equipment EQ of a first type (such as for example a side rear-view screen) is fixedly and permanently secured, while the second ([Fig.2]) comprises a reception zone ZA in which a thin piece of equipment EQ of a second type (such as for example a smartphone or a navigation aid device) is temporarily secured, via a retaining part PR.
[0034] For example, a thin piece of equipment EQ of a first type can be fixedly secured by screwing into its reception area ZA.
[0035] Also for example, a thin piece of equipment EQ of a second type can be secured in its reception zone ZA via a flexible retaining part PR and fixedly and permanently secured in the latter (ZA). It will be understood that this flexibility is intended to allow the temporary installation and uninstallation of the thin piece of equipment EQ. An example of such a retaining part PR is illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 2, 3 and 5. As is better shown in [Fig.5], in the illustrated example the retaining part PR is a metal blade comprising first PPE and second EP2 opposite ends. The first end PPE is folded so as to define a first open housing in which the thin equipment EQ can translate while being laterally retained. The second end EP2 is folded so as to define, on the one hand, a second open housing in which the thin equipment EQ can translate while being laterally retained, and, on the other hand, a terminal tab LT which is actuable by a user to deform its second end EP2 reversibly during installation or uninstallation of the thin equipment EQ.
[0036] Although this only appears partially in Figures 1 and 2 (for the left side only), a dashboard PDB, according to the invention, comprises two opposite ends EP intended to be placed near the reception zones ZA of the right and left side doors PL respectively. In addition, at least one of these ends EP comprises an internal housing LI having an opening OL which is intended to be placed in the extension (right or left) of the corresponding reception zone ZA, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. This arrangement is intended to allow, during an impact, the at least partial introduction of the thin equipment EQ which is received by a reception zone ZA in the event of a part of the side door PL which comprises at least this reception zone ZA being pushed into the passenger compartment H.
[0037] Two intermediate and final steps of an example of introduction of a thin equipment EQ into an internal housing LI of an end (here left) EP of a dashboard PDB are illustrated respectively in figures 6 and 7. In [Fig.6] the depression of the left side door PL is materialized by the arrow F1 and the movement of the thin equipment EQ towards and in the internal housing LI is materialized by the arrow F2. In this example of introduction, the thin equipment EQ is finally completely housed inside the internal housing LI, because the dimensions of the latter (LI) allow it. But in an alternative embodiment (not illustrated), the dimension of the internal housing LI in the transverse direction Y could be less than the transverse extension of the thin equipment EQ, and in this case the latter (EQ) can only be partially housed in the corresponding internal housing LI.
[0038] Thanks to this penetration of the thin equipment EQ into the corresponding internal housing LI of the dashboard PDB, it no longer risks becoming a projectile in the passenger compartment H when it becomes detached from its reception zone ZA, and therefore it no longer risks causing injuries to passenger(s).
[0039] It is important to note that the notion of “thinness” of the thin equipment EQ concerns its thickness which must be strictly less than the dimension of the corresponding internal housing LI in the longitudinal direction X. In other words, if the thickness of the thin equipment EQ is greater than the dimension of the housing internal LI corresponding to the longitudinal direction X, then it will not be able to enter the latter (LI) when its side door PL is pushed into the passenger compartment H.
[0040] It will also be noted that each of the EP ends of the dashboard PDB may comprise an internal housing LI. But this is not obligatory. Indeed, only one of the two EP ends (the right or the left) could comprise an internal housing LL.
[0041] For example, and as illustrated non-limitingly in Figures 1 to 4, 6 and 7, each end EP which comprises an internal housing LI may also comprise a lateral extension EL which extends the upper face FS of its dashboard PDB in the direction of a strip BP of the trim panel PG equipping the inner side of the neighboring side door PL and above the (level of the) internal housing LI. This arrangement is intended to allow the lateral extension EL considered to slide on the strip BP during insertion (arrow F1) while defining an upper stop which forces the thin equipment EQ to penetrate (arrow F2) into the corresponding internal housing LI.
[0042] It will also be noted that each internal housing LI may be intended to extend in a direction which is substantially parallel to the transverse direction Y. The word "substantially" means exactly or almost (typically + / - 10°). It is in fact not obligatory for the orientation in space (X, Y, Z), at least along its width, of an internal housing LI to be parallel to the transverse direction Y. Similarly, it is not obligatory for the orientation in space (X, Y, Z), along its width, of an internal housing LI to be identical to the orientation in space (X, Y, Z), along its width, of the corresponding thin equipment EQ. In the examples illustrated, the orientation of the internal housing LI along its width differs slightly from the transverse direction Y but is identical to the orientation of the width of the thin equipment EQ.
[0043] It will also be noted that each internal housing LI may be intended to extend in a direction which is substantially parallel to the vertical direction Z. The word "substantially" means exactly or almost (typically + / - 10°). It is in fact not obligatory for the orientation in space (X, Y, Z), at least along its height, of an internal housing LI to be parallel to the vertical direction Z. Similarly, it is not obligatory for the orientation in space (X, Y, Z), along its height, of an internal housing LI to be identical to the orientation in space (X, Y, Z), along its height, of the corresponding thin equipment EQ. In the examples illustrated, the orientation of the internal housing LI along its height differs slightly from the vertical direction Z but is identical to the orientation of the height of the thin equipment EQ.
Claims
Claims
1. Dashboard (PDB) suitable for equipping a passenger compartment (H) of a vehicle (V) and comprising two opposite ends (EP) intended to be placed near respective reception zones (ZA) of side doors (PL) of said vehicle (V) at least one of which can accommodate thin equipment (EQ), characterized in that at least one of said ends (EP) comprises an internal housing (LI) having an opening (OL) intended to be placed in the extension of the corresponding reception zone (ZA) in order to allow at least partial introduction of the thin equipment (EQ) accommodated by this reception zone (ZA) in the event of a part of the side door (PL) comprising at least this reception zone (ZA) being pushed into said passenger compartment (H), during an impact.
2. Dashboard according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said ends (EP) comprises an internal housing (LI).
3. Dashboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each end (EP) comprising an internal housing (LI) further comprises a lateral extension (EL) extending an upper face (FS) in the direction of a strip (BP) of a trim panel (PG) of the neighboring side door (PL) and above said internal housing (LI), so as to slide on said strip (BP) during said pressing while defining an upper stop forcing said thin equipment (EQ) to enter said internal housing (LI).
4. Dashboard according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each internal housing (LI) is intended to extend in a direction substantially parallel to a transverse direction of said vehicle (V).
5. Dashboard according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that each internal housing (LI) is intended to extend in a direction substantially parallel to a vertical direction of said vehicle (V).
6. Dashboard according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each internal housing (LI) is adapted to housing at least part of a thin piece of equipment (EQ) chosen from a side rear view screen, a smartphone and a navigation aid device.
7. Vehicle (V) comprising a passenger compartment (H) partly delimited by two right and left side doors (PL) respectively comprising reception areas (ZA) at least one of which can accommodate thin equipment (EQ), characterized in that said passenger compartment (H) comprises a dashboard (PDB) according to one of the preceding claims, the two opposite ends (EP) of which are placed respectively near said reception areas (ZA).
8. Vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of said reception areas (ZA) comprises a flexible retaining part (PR) so as to allow the temporary installation and uninstallation of thin equipment (EQ).
9. Vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that each retaining part (PR) is a metal blade comprising a first end (EPI) bent so as to define a first open housing in which said thin equipment (EQ) can translate while being laterally retained, and a second end (EP2) opposite said first end (EPI) and bent so as to define, on the one hand, a second open housing in which said thin equipment (EQ) can translate while being laterally retained, and, on the other hand, a terminal tab (LT) actuable by a user to deform it reversibly during installation or uninstallation of said thin equipment (EQ).
10. Vehicle according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that it is of the automobile type.