Instrument panel support structure

Abstract

To enhance practical utility of an instrument panel support structure for supporting an instrument panel which is provided in a cabin to a vehicle body.SOLUTION: An instrument panel support structure supports an instrument panel 10 (12) to a vehicle body via support members 22, 24 and at the same time is equipped with a panel displacement allowable mechanism which permits displacement x of the instrument panel with deformation (B, M) of the support members for impact applied to the instrument panel. Impact energy is absorbed by the instrument panel displacing while the deformation of the support members cause resistance F and are subject to the resistance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an instrument panel support structure for supporting an instrument panel provided in a vehicle compartment on a vehicle body. [Background technology]

[0002] If a collision of a vehicle with an object in front of the vehicle is called a "front collision," then in the front collision, passengers in the vehicle cabin may collide secondary with an instrument panel (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as "instrument panel") provided in the vehicle cabin. This secondary collision may damage the surface material of the instrument panel. In order to prevent this damage to the surface material, for example, the following patent document discloses a technology in which a member surrounding the surface material is formed to protrude from the surface material, so that in the event of a secondary collision, passengers collide with the member surrounding the surface material before colliding with the surface material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-177146 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in the above patent document relates to an instrument panel support structure that includes a means for preventing damage to the surface material of the instrument panel. However, there is still room for improvement or new development of the means, and such improvements and new developments can lead to a more practical instrument panel support structure. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a practical instrument panel support structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the instrument panel support structure of the present invention comprises: An instrument panel support structure for supporting an instrument panel provided in a vehicle interior on a vehicle body, comprising: The instrument panel is supported on a vehicle body via a support member, The instrument panel further includes a panel displacement allowing mechanism that allows displacement of the instrument panel accompanied by deformation of the support member in response to an impact applied to the instrument panel. Effect of the Invention

[0006] The "panel displacement allowance mechanism" of the present invention can also be considered as an "impact absorbing mechanism" for absorbing impacts applied to the instrument panel. More specifically, the deformation of the support member generates resistance, and the instrument panel displaces while receiving that resistance, thereby absorbing impact energy. In the technology of the prior art document described above, the impact is absorbed by deforming the members surrounding the surface material without displacing the instrument panel, and the instrument panel support structure of the present invention is significantly different from the support structure in the prior art document in that it displaces the instrument panel itself. According to the instrument panel support structure of the present invention, the panel displacement allowance mechanism effectively prevents damage to the surface material of the instrument panel in a secondary collision. Aspects of the Invention

[0007] In the present invention, the term "instrument panel" should be interpreted in the narrow sense, and refers to the portion of the structure present below the windshield inside the vehicle cabin where instruments, displays, etc. are arranged and which faces the occupants. Correspondingly, in this specification, the term "dashboard" refers to the portion of the structure that generally extends in the front-rear and left-right directions at the top of the instrument panel. If the member that forms the surface of the instrument panel is called the "surface material," the surface material is generally made of a material that is relatively easily broken when an impact is applied, such as glass or transparent hard resin.

[0008] On the other hand, generally, an instrument panel reinforcement is disposed on the vehicle front side of the instrument panel below the dashboard so as to extend to the left and right of the vehicle. This instrument panel reinforcement is a reinforcing member that becomes part of the vehicle body, and is, for example, shaped like a pipe.

[0009] The "support member" in the present invention is a member that supports the instrument panel on the vehicle body, in other words, a member that connects the instrument panel to the vehicle body. Therefore, the dashboard also functions as a support member. Also, a bracket may be provided on the instrument panel reinforcement so that the bracket supports the instrument panel, in which case the bracket functions as a support member. Incidentally, the dashboard may also be supported by the instrument panel reinforcement.

[0010] The support member is configured to deform due to the impact, and the deformation may be elastic or plastic. If the deformation is plastic, the elastic force generated in the support member is suppressed, and effective shock absorption is possible. When the impact is applied, the plastic deformation of the support member may progress, leading to the breakage of the support member.

[0011] To further explain the deformation of the support member, the support member may be provided with a weak portion, i.e., a weak part, for example, by reducing the thickness or forming a notch, so that the support member is deformed at the weak part when the above-mentioned impact is applied to the instrument panel. Specifically, the weak part may be broken, bent, or curved. In other words, the weak part may constitute a panel displacement allowing mechanism.

[0012] A "car navigation device" is often installed in the instrument panel, and the car navigation device (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "car navigation") generally has a "main body" arranged inside the instrument panel and a "display" integrated with the main body. In such a car navigation device, the surface material of the display functions as the surface material of the instrument panel.

[0013] Furthermore, in the case where the instrument panel is configured to include the car navigation system, the instrument panel support structure of the present invention may be specifically configured so that the main body is supported on an instrument panel reinforcement via a bracket as the support member, and the display is supported on the vehicle body via a dashboard as another support member. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an instrument panel support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing the moment when an object collides with an instrument panel in the instrument panel support structure of the embodiment; [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining deformation of a bracket and a dashboard, which are support members, in the instrument panel support structure of the embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram for explaining impact absorption in the instrument panel support structure of the embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an instrument panel support structure according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as "the instrument panel support structure of the embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the embodiment described below, the present invention can be embodied in various forms that are modified and improved based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art, including the form described in the above [Mode of the invention] section. EXAMPLES

[0016] 1 is a diagram showing a part of a vehicle cut along a plane extending vertically and longitudinally, and the instrument panel support structure of the embodiment is a structure for supporting an instrument panel 10 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "instrument panel 10") on a vehicle body (not shown). In the figure, a car navigation device 12 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "car navigation 12") is shown as a part of the instrument panel 10, and this car navigation 12 includes a main body 14 and a display 16 provided integrally with the main body 14. A portion 18 constituting the surface of the display 16 functions as a surface material of the instrument panel 10. Incidentally, the portion 18 will hereinafter be referred to as the surface material 18, and the surface material 18 is transparent glass.

[0017] The vehicle is provided with an instrument panel reinforcement 20 (hereinafter, may be simply abbreviated as "reinforcement 20") as a part of the vehicle body. This reinforcement 20 has a pipe shape with a circular cross section, and is disposed across the left and right sides of the vehicle.

[0018] The car navigation system 12, which is a part of the instrument panel 10, is supported on the vehicle body by two types of support members. Specifically, the main body 14 is supported on a reinforcement 20, which is a part of the vehicle body, via a pair of left and right brackets 22, each of which is a type of support member, and the display 16 is supported on the vehicle body at its upper part via a dashboard 24, which functions as another type of support member. Incidentally, although not shown in the figure, the dashboard 24 itself is also supported by the reinforcement 20.

[0019] For example, when a vehicle in which the instrument panel 10 is installed collides with an obstacle in front of the vehicle, an object O such as an occupant may make a secondary collision with the instrument panel 10, as shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the object O makes a secondary collision with the portion in which the car navigation system 12 is disposed, and in this case, if the bracket 22 and dashboard 24, which are supporting members, are strong and the car navigation system 12 is firmly supported by the vehicle body, it is predicted that the impact from the secondary collision will act violently on the display 16, damaging the surface material 18. To put it simply, there is a possibility that the glass, which is the surface material 18, will break.

[0020] Therefore, in the instrument panel support structure of this embodiment, a panel displacement allowing mechanism is provided that allows the displacement of the instrument panel 10, more specifically, the displacement of the car navigation system 12, which is accompanied by deformation of the bracket 22 and the dashboard 24, which are support members, when an impact is applied to the instrument panel 10. This panel displacement allowing mechanism will be described in detail below.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 3(a), each of the pair of brackets 22 is generally channel-shaped. Each bracket 22 is joined to the reinforcement 20 at a base end B by welding. More specifically, the base end B does not have a channel-shaped web 26, and is formed of only a pair of flanges 28 that face each other in parallel. Each flange 28 has a relatively thin thickness.

[0022] Therefore, when a certain amount of force is applied to the tip of the bracket 22 in a direction generally toward the front of the vehicle, the flanges 28 are bent in the thickness direction as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 3(b). In other words, each bracket 22 is plastically deformed so as to buckle at the base end B. That is, the base end B functions as a weakened portion of the support member.

[0023] On the other hand, the dashboard 24 has a shape that is bent to some extent at a middle portion M in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 1. When a certain amount of force is applied to the rear portion of the vehicle in a direction generally toward the front of the vehicle, the dashboard 24 undergoes plastic deformation at the middle portion M so that the bending becomes large, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 3(c). Simply put, the middle portion M has a shape that is easily bent when a certain amount of force is applied thereto, and this middle portion M also functions as a weakened portion of the support member.

[0024] When an impact is applied to the instrument panel 10 supported on the vehicle body via a support member having a weakened portion as described above, the instrument panel 10 is displaced toward the front of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 4. More specifically, the bracket 22 for supporting the main body 14 of the car navigation system 12 and the dashboard 24 for supporting the display 16 are each plastically deformed as described above, and the car navigation system 12 itself constituting the instrument panel 10 is displaced toward the front of the vehicle. More specifically, the two-dot chain line in the figure indicates the position of the instrument panel 10 at the moment when the object O collides with the instrument panel 10, and then, accompanied by deformation of the bracket 22 and the dashboard 24, the instrument panel 10 is displaced in the direction indicated by the white arrow.

[0025] In other words, this instrument panel support structure is equipped with a mechanism formed by the base end B of the bracket 22 as a weak portion of the support member and the middle portion M of the dashboard 24, i.e., a panel displacement allowance mechanism that allows displacement of the instrument panel 10 accompanied by deformation of the support member in response to an impact applied to the instrument panel 10.

[0026] Furthermore, the plastic deformation of the bracket 22 and dashboard 24 generates deformation resistance. This deformation resistance acts on the instrument panel 10 in the direction opposite to the direction of displacement, that is, in the direction of the hatched arrow shown in the figure. In other words, the instrument panel 10 is allowed to displace against the deformation resistance. If this deformation resistance is F and the amount of displacement of the instrument panel 10 is x, then the impact absorption energy E, which is the impact energy absorbed in conjunction with the displacement, is roughly expressed by the following formula: E = F x By exerting such a shock absorbing effect, the present instrument panel support structure effectively prevents damage to the surface material 18 of the instrument panel 10. In view of this, the above-mentioned panel displacement allowing mechanism can also be called a shock absorbing mechanism. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10: Instrument panel 12: Car navigation device 14: Main body 16: Display 18: Surface material 20: Instrument panel reinforcement 22: Bracket 24: Dashboard 26: Web 28: Flange O: Object B: Base end of bracket M: Middle part of dashboard F: Deformation resistance x: Displacement E: Impact absorption energy

Claims

1. An instrument panel support structure for supporting an instrument panel provided in a vehicle interior on a vehicle body, comprising: The instrument panel is supported on a vehicle body via a support member, 1. An instrument panel support structure comprising: a panel displacement allowing mechanism for allowing displacement of the instrument panel accompanied by deformation of the support member in response to an impact applied to the instrument panel.

2. 2. The instrument panel support structure according to claim 1, wherein the deformation of the support member in the panel displacement allowing mechanism is plastic deformation.

3. 2. The instrument panel support structure according to claim 1, wherein the support member is provided with a weakened portion, and the support member is adapted to deform at the weakened portion when the impact is applied thereto.

4. the instrument panel includes a car navigation device having a main body and a display, 2. The instrument panel support structure according to claim 1, wherein the main body is supported by an instrument panel reinforcement that is a part of the vehicle body via a bracket serving as the support member, and the display is supported by the vehicle body via a dashboard serving as another support member.

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