Floor mat connector

Abstract

To connect a pair of floor mats to each other in an appropriate mode in a case where the pair of floor mats cross each other at a predetermined angle.SOLUTION: A floor mat connector comprises: a first mat holding part configured to extend from a rear surface to a front surface of a first floor mat to hold an edge part of the first floor mat; and a second mat holding part configured to extend from a rear surface to a front surface of a second floor mat to hold an edge part of the second floor mat. The first mat holding member has a first protruded part protruded to one side in a second direction beyond a mat boundary line, and the second mat holding member has a second protruded part protruded to the other side in the second direction beyond the mat boundary line. A shaft part is protruded, along a shaft line extending in a first direction, to either of the first protruded part and the second protruded part, and a bearing part that supports the shaft part rotatably with the shaft line as a center is provided at the other of the first protruded part and the second protruded part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a floor mat connector for connecting a plurality of floor mats. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a connector that connects adjacent floor mats without providing a separate portion for connecting the floor mats on the floor mats themselves (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (Fig. 7)). The connector described in Patent Document 1 includes a first retaining portion and a second retaining portion that respectively hold a pair of floor mats, and a flexible connecting portion that connects the first retaining portion and the second retaining portion, and the connector is formed so that the top surfaces of the first retaining portion, the second retaining portion, and the connecting portion are flush with each other. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-278135 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a pair of adjacent floor mats are arranged with their upper surfaces intersecting at a predetermined angle (for example, 90°), it is necessary to configure the connector so that it can be smoothly bent to the predetermined angle. However, when the connector is formed so that the upper surfaces of the first holding portion, the second holding portion, and the joining portion are on the same plane, as in the connector described in the above Patent Document 1, it is difficult to bend the connector smoothly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is a floor mat connector configured to connect a first floor mat and a second floor mat arranged adjacent to each other via a mat boundary line, the floor mat connector having a predetermined width extending in a first direction parallel to the mat boundary line and a predetermined length extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction beyond the mat boundary line, the floor mat connector comprising: a first mat retaining member having flexibility, configured to extend from the back surface of the first floor mat to the front surface and to hold an edge of the first floor mat; and a second mat retaining member having flexibility, configured to extend from the back surface of the second floor mat to the front surface and to hold an edge of the second floor mat. The first mat retaining member has a first protruding portion protruding on one side in the second direction beyond the mat boundary line, and the second mat retaining member has a second protruding portion protruding on the other side in the second direction beyond the mat boundary line. An axle portion is protruded from either the first protrusion or the second protrusion along an axis extending in a first direction, and a bearing portion is provided on the other of the first protrusion or the second protrusion for rotatably supporting the axle portion around the axis. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, the floor mat connecting portion can be bent smoothly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of application of a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention to a floor mat. [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of an end of the floor mat of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] Arrow IV view of Figure 3. [Diagram 5] 1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6A] 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a first mat holding member constituting a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6B]6B is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the first mat holding member as viewed from a different direction than that of FIG. 6A. [Figure 7A] 1 is a side view showing a pair of left and right floor mats connected together by a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7B] Enlarged view of part B in Figure 7A. [Figure 8A] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an application example of a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention when a pair of floor mats intersect at an angle of 45°. [Figure 8B] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an application example of a floor mat connector according to an embodiment of the present invention when a pair of floor mats intersect at an angle of 90°. [Figure 9] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a location in a vehicle interior where a pair of floor mats intersect at an angle of 90 degrees. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 9. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic example of application of a floor mat connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention to floor mats 201, 202. For convenience, Fig. 1 shows only the outline of the floor mat connector 100 by a dotted line.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of floor mats 201, 202 are laid on the upper surface of a vehicle floor adjacent to each other with a mat boundary line LN1 interposed therebetween. The floor mat connector 100 is disposed at the boundary between the floor mats 201, 202 to connect the floor mats. Note that, although the upper surfaces of the pair of floor mats 201, 202 are located on the same plane in FIG. 1, the floor mat connector 100 can also be applied when the upper surfaces of the pair of floor mats 201, 202 are not on the same plane but intersect at a predetermined angle (for example, 90°). In the following, for convenience, the floor mat 201 may be referred to as the first floor mat, and the floor mat 202 may be referred to as the second floor mat.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the end of the floor mat 201, 202. As shown in FIG. 2, the floor mat 201, 202 has a back surface portion 200A arranged facing the floor of the vehicle and a front surface portion 200B arranged facing the interior of the vehicle. The edge portion 200C of the floor mat 201, 202 is provided at the end of the back surface portion 200A and the front surface portion 200B. The mat boundary line LN1 is a middle line that bisects the area between the edge portion 200C of the floor mat 201 and the edge portion 200C of the floor mat 202, and these edges 200C, 200C are located symmetrically with respect to the mat boundary line LN1. Therefore, the distance from the mat boundary line LN1 to the edge portion 200C of the floor mat 201 and the distance from the mat boundary line LN1 to the edge portion 200C of the floor mat 202 are equal to each other. The surface portion 200B is made of pile cloth in which pile fibers 211 such as pile yarns are tufted onto a base cloth 210. The back surface portion 200A has an anti-slip mat 212 which is integrally formed with the surface portion 200B by thermoforming synthetic rubber or the like. Anti-slip protrusions 213 are provided on the back surface of the anti-slip mat 212. The back surface of the floor mats 201, 202 refers to the bottom surface of the back surface portion 200A to the edge portion 200C, and the front surface refers to the top surface of the surface portion 200B to the edge portion 200C.

[0011] The edge portion 200C of the floor mat 201, 202 is treated by trimming to prevent the pile yarn from falling off. Specifically, the pile yarn is covered and serged with a serging thread. That is, the edge portion 200C of the floor mat 201, 202 is formed over the entire circumference of the floor mat 201, 202 by sewing the serging thread in a continuous loop. For this reason, the surface portion 200B of the floor mat 201, 202 is provided with a recess 216 around the entire circumference of the floor mat 201, 202 near the boundary between the raised fibers 211 and the serged portion 215, in other words, a predetermined distance inward from the outer edge of the floor mat 201, 202.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the floor mat connector 100 is attached to a mounting portion 217 at the end of the floor mats 201, 202. The mounting portion 217 is formed to be substantially concave in a plan view in a direction away from the mat boundary line LN1. Therefore, the gap between the floor mats 201, 202 becomes large at the mounting portion 217. The mounting portion 217 may be formed to be linear instead of concave. In this embodiment, the floor mat connector 100 is configured to be able to hold the edge portion 200C of the floor mats 201, 202 without providing a through hole or the like for mounting the connector in the floor mat itself.

[0013] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the floor mat connector 100 according to this embodiment, Fig. 4 is a side view (view along arrow IV in Fig. 3), and Fig. 5 is a plan view. For convenience, the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction are defined below as shown in the figures. The front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction correspond to the width direction, length direction, and height direction of the floor mat connector 100, respectively. Fig. 3 shows a mat boundary line LN1 extending in the front-rear direction, and Fig. 4 shows a vertical line LN2 extending in the up-down direction perpendicular to the mat boundary line LN1.

[0014] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the floor mat connector 100 has a first mat retaining member 1 that holds an end of a first floor mat 201, and a second mat retaining member 2 that holds an end of a second floor mat 202. The first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are connected via a connecting portion 3 so as to be rotatable about an axis line CL1 that extends in the front-rear direction and is perpendicular to a vertical line LN2. The first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are formed by injection molding using a flexible resin such as high performance polymer (HPP) as a constituent material.

[0015] The first mat retaining member 1 has a substantially plate-like first back surface portion 11 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions facing the back surface of the first floor mat 201 (FIG. 1), a substantially plate-like first front surface portion 12 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions facing the front surface of the first floor mat 201, and a substantially plate-like first connecting portion 13 extending in the up-down direction and connecting a right end portion of the first back surface portion 11 to a right end portion of the first front surface portion 12. The left-right length of the first back surface portion 11 is longer than the left-right length of the first front surface portion 12, and the left end portion of the first back surface portion 11 is located to the left of the left end portion of the first front surface portion 12.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4, the first mat retaining member 1 is substantially C-shaped, and the plate thickness is substantially constant from the left end of the first back surface portion 11 to the first connecting portion 13 and the left end of the first surface portion 12. The first back surface portion 11 extends horizontally. On the other hand, the first surface portion 12 extends from the right end to the left end at a downward inclination. The left end of the first surface portion 12 is provided with a first protrusion portion 14 whose tip protrudes downward in a substantially triangular shape. The left surface of the first protrusion portion 14 is formed with a tapered surface 14a that slopes downward to the right. The vertical length from the upper surface of the first back surface portion 11 to the lower surface of the first surface portion 12, i.e., the height of the space SP1 between the first back surface portion 11 and the first surface portion 12, is substantially equal to the height of the edge stitching portion 215 (FIG. 2) of the first floor mat 201. The length in the left-right direction from the lower end of the first protrusion 14 to the left end of the first connection portion 13 is approximately equal to the length in the left-right direction of the edge stitching portion 215 of the first floor mat 201 .

[0017] The first mat holding member 1 can be bent in the vertical direction by elastic deformation, with a virtual axis extending in the front-rear direction along the lower end and upper end of the first connecting portion 13 as a fulcrum. This allows the first protrusion 14 to be moved upward, and the edge stitching portion 215 of the first floor mat 201 can be inserted into the space SP1 between the first back surface portion 11 and the first surface portion 12. When the edge stitching portion 215 of the first floor mat 201 is inserted into the space SP1, the first protrusion 14 engages with the recess 216 (FIG. 2) on the surface of the first floor mat 201, and the edge portion 200C of the first floor mat 201 is engaged with the first mat holding member 1. That is, the edge portion 200C of the first floor mat 201 is clamped by the first mat holding member 1, which is flexible.

[0018] 3 to 5, the second mat holding member 2 has a substantially plate-shaped second back surface portion 21 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions facing the back surface of the second floor mat 202 (FIG. 1), a substantially plate-shaped second front surface portion 22 extending in the front-rear and left-right directions facing the front surface of the second floor mat 202, and a substantially plate-shaped second connection portion 23 extending in the up-down direction and connecting the left end of the second back surface portion 21 to the left end of the second front surface portion 22. The left-right length of the second back surface portion 21 is longer than the left-right length of the second front surface portion 22, and the right end of the second back surface portion 21 is located to the right of the right end of the second front surface portion 22.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the second mat holding member 2 is substantially C-shaped, and the plate thickness is substantially constant from the right end of the second back surface portion 21 to the second connection portion 23 and the right end of the second front surface portion 22. The second back surface portion 21 extends horizontally. On the other hand, the second front surface portion 22 extends from the left end portion to the right end portion, sloping downward. The right end portion of the second front surface portion 22 is provided with a second protrusion portion 24 whose tip protrudes downward in a substantially triangular shape. The right surface of the second protrusion portion 24 is formed with a tapered surface 24a that slopes downward toward the left. The vertical length from the upper surface of the second back surface portion 21 to the lower surface of the second front surface portion 22, i.e., the height of the space SP2 between the second back surface portion 21 and the second front surface portion 22, is substantially equal to the height of the edge stitching portion 215 (FIG. 2) of the second floor mat 202. The left-right length from the lower end of the second protrusion 24 to the right end of the second connection portion 23 is approximately equal to the left-right length of the edge stitching portion 215 of the second floor mat 202.

[0020] The second mat holding member 2 can be bent in the vertical direction by elastic deformation, with a virtual axis extending in the front-rear direction along the lower end and upper end of the second connecting portion 23 as a fulcrum. This allows the second protrusion 24 to be moved upward, and the edge stitching portion 215 of the second floor mat 202 can be inserted into the space SP2 between the second back surface portion 21 and the second surface portion 22. When the edge stitching portion 215 of the second floor mat 202 is inserted into the space SP2, the second protrusion 24 engages with the recess 216 (FIG. 2) on the surface of the second floor mat 202, and the edge portion 200C of the second floor mat 202 is engaged with the second mat holding member 2. That is, the edge portion 200C of the second floor mat 202 is clamped by the second mat holding member 2 having flexibility.

[0021] The first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are the same member. When the first mat retaining member 1 is rotated 180° around the vertical line LN2, it becomes the second mat retaining member 2. By configuring the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 as the same member in this manner, the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 can be molded using the same mold, thereby reducing costs. Note that the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 may be configured as different members.

[0022] The following describes the configuration of the connecting portion 3 that connects the first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2. Figures 6A and 6B are perspective views of the first mat holding member 1 alone, showing the configuration of the connecting portion 3.

[0023] 6A and 6B, a pair of front and rear protrusions 31, 32 protrude to the right from the first connection portion 13. The protrusions 31, 32 have the same contours in a side view, are connected to the upper surface of the first surface portion 12, and extend to the right, downward, and left along gentle arc curves. The lower ends of the protrusions 31, 32 are connected to the middle part of the first connection portion 13 in the height direction.

[0024] The protrusions 31 and 32 are generally rectangular in plan view (see FIG. 5), and each has a front end face 31a, 32a and a rear end face 31b, 32b. A recess 33, generally rectangular in plan view, is provided between the rear end face 31b of the protrusion 31 and the front end face 32a of the protrusion 32. The front end face 31a of the front protrusion 31 is located on the same plane as the front end face of the first connection portion 13. Therefore, the protrusion 31 extends to the right along the front end face of the first mat holding member 1 without any steps in the front-rear direction.

[0025] On the other hand, the rear end surface 32b of the rear projection 32 is located forward of the rear end surface of the first connection portion 13. More specifically, the rear end surface of the first connection portion 13 is provided with a notch 34 that is generally rectangular in plan view and concave toward the front (see FIG. 5), and the projection 32 extends to the right forward of the rear end surface of the first mat holding member 1. The depth (front-rear length) of the notch 34 is equal to the thickness (front-rear length) of the projection 31 and a projection 41 described later. The projection 31 is shorter in length (thinner) in the front-rear direction than the projection 32. This allows the projection 31 to be easily deflected in the front-rear direction.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 6B, the protruding portion 31 has a substantially circular through hole 310 centered on the axis CL1. At a corner where the rear end surface 31b of the protruding portion 31 intersects with the arc-shaped right end surface, a chamfered portion 311 is provided to facilitate insertion of a shaft portion (a shaft portion 420 described later) into the through hole 310. At the rear end surface 32b of the protruding portion 32, a substantially cylindrical shaft portion 320 centered on the axis CL1 is provided to protrude rearward. The diameter of the shaft portion 320 is equal or nearly equal to the diameter of the through hole 310. The length of the shaft portion 320 in the front-rear direction is shorter than the depth of the cutout portion 34 in the front-rear direction, and the rear end surface of the shaft portion 320 is located forward of the rear end surface of the first connecting portion 13. At a right corner of the rear end surface of the shaft portion 320, a chamfered portion 321 is provided to facilitate insertion of the shaft portion 320 into the through hole (a through hole 410 described later).

[0027] The first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are made of the same material. Therefore, the second mat retaining member 2 is not shown in the figure, but the connecting portion 3 of the second mat retaining member 2 is configured similarly to the connecting portion 3 of the first mat retaining member 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the second mat retaining member 2 has a pair of front and rear protrusions 41, 42 protruding leftward from the second connecting portion 23. A recess 43 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view is provided between the front end surface 41b of the rear protrusion 41 and the rear end surface 42a of the front protrusion 42. The rear end surface 41a of the protrusion 41 extends leftward along the rear end surface of the second mat retaining member 2. A notch 44 is provided in the front end surface of the second connecting portion 23. A substantially circular through hole 410 centered on the axis CL1 is opened in the protrusion 41. A generally cylindrical shaft portion 420 is provided on a front end surface 42b of the protruding portion 42 so as to protrude forward and be centered on the axis line CL1.

[0028] The floor mat connector 100 is manufactured, for example, as follows. First, mat retaining members of the same shape that will become the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are formed by injection molding. Next, as shown in Fig. 5, the protruding portion 42 of the second mat retaining member 2 is fitted into the recessed portion 33 of the first mat retaining member 1, and the protruding portion 32 of the first mat retaining member 1 is fitted into the recessed portion 43 of the second mat retaining member 2. Then, the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are pressed against each other and connected to each other via the connecting portion 3.

[0029] At this time, the tip end of the shaft portion 320 comes into contact with the front end surface 41b of the protruding portion 41 via the chamfered portion 321 (FIG. 6B) of the shaft portion 320 and the chamfered portion of the protruding portion 41, and the shaft portion 320 approaches the through hole 410 of the protruding portion 41 while the protruding portion 41 is deflected outward in the width direction (rearward). Also, the tip end of the shaft portion 420 comes into contact with the rear end surface 31b of the protruding portion 31 via the chamfered portion of the shaft portion 420 and the chamfered portion 311 (FIG. 6B) of the protruding portion 31, and the shaft portion 420 approaches the through hole 310 of the protruding portion 31 while the protruding portion 31 is deflected outward in the axial direction (frontward).

[0030] When the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are pressed against each other to the maximum extent, the shaft 320 is inserted into the through hole 410, and the shaft 420 is inserted into the through hole 310. As a result, the protrusions 31 and 41 are displaced inward in the width direction due to elastic deformation, and the deflection of the protrusions 31 and 41 is removed. This completes the manufacture of the floor mat connector 100. With this floor mat connector 100, the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 can rotate smoothly via the pair of shafts 320 and 420 on the axis CL1.

[0031] Fig. 7A is a side view showing a pair of left and right floor mats 201, 202 connected by the floor mat connector 100. As shown in Fig. 7A, the edge portion 200C of the first floor mat 201 is inserted into the space SP1 inside the first mat holding member 1. For example, as shown in Fig. 7B, which is an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 7A, the user lifts the left end of the first front surface portion 12 upward with his / her fingers, and in this state, slides the upper surface of the first back surface portion 11 along the bottom surface of the first floor mat 201 to insert the edge portion 200C into the space SP1.

[0032] When the user loosens the pressure of his / her fingers after inserting the edge portion 200C, the first mat holding member 1 returns to its original state due to elasticity, and the first protrusion 14 engages with the recess 216 of the edge stitching portion 215. This causes the end of the first floor mat 201 to be held by the first mat holding member 1. Similarly, the edge portion 200C of the second floor mat 202 is inserted into the space SP2 inside the second mat holding member 2 with the user lifting the right end of the second surface portion 22 upward. Thereafter, when the user loosens the pressure of his / her fingers, the second protrusion 24 engages with the recess 216 of the edge stitching portion 215, and the end of the second floor mat 202 is held by the second mat holding member 2.

[0033] This allows a pair of floor mats 201, 202 to be easily connected via the floor mat connector 100 without providing additional holes or the like for attaching the connector in the floor mats themselves. The floor mat connector 100 is attached by lifting the first convex portion 14 and the second convex portion 24 upward and engaging the first convex portion 14 and the second convex portion 24 with the recesses 216 in the edge portions 200C of the floor mats 201, 202. This allows the floor mats to be connected more firmly than when the floor mats are connected together using an adhesive such as Velcro (registered trademark).

[0034] When inserting the edge portion 200C of the floor mat 201, 202 into the space SP1, PS2 inside the first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2, the edge portion 200C may be pushed into the space SP1, PS2 without lifting the tip portion of the first surface portion 12 and the second surface portion 22 upward with fingers. When the edge portion 200C is pushed in, the first protrusion 14 and the second protrusion 24 elastically deform upward while the tapered surfaces 14a, 24a abut against the upper surface of the edge stitching portion 215. Then, when the first protrusion 14 and the second protrusion 24 climb over the edge stitching portion 215, they engage with the recess 216. This makes it easy to attach the floor mat connector 100 to the floor mat 201, 202.

[0035] When the floor mats are connected to each other by the floor mat connector 100, the floor mats 201, 202 may be pulled in different directions, and forces in the tensile, compressive, or twisting directions may act on the floor mat connector 100. For this reason, it is preferable to firmly connect the first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2 via the connecting portion 3.

[0036] In this embodiment, a pair of shafts 320, 420 are provided along axis CL1 at both widthwise (front-rear) ends of the floor mat connector 100, and the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are connected via the shafts 320, 420 (FIG. 5). Therefore, the length from one widthwise end (rear end of shaft 320) to the other widthwise end (front end of shaft 420) of the shafts 320, 420 can be set long, and the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 can be stably connected via the connecting portion 3.

[0037] In the above, an application example of the floor mat connector 100 in a case where a pair of floor mats 201, 202 are arranged on the same plane has been described. However, the floor mat connector 100 of this embodiment can also be applied to a case where a pair of floor mats 201, 202 are arranged on different planes, that is, a case where the pair of floor mats 201, 202 intersect at a predetermined angle. Figures 8A and 8B are side views showing an example of this.

[0038] 8A shows an example in which the first floor mat 201 and the second floor mat 202 intersect at an angle of 45°, and FIG. 8B shows an example in which they intersect at an angle of 90°. The first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2 are connected to each other via the floor mat connector 100 so as to be rotatable about the axis CL1. Therefore, the first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2 can be smoothly rotated without stress being concentrated on the connecting portion 3 of the floor mat connector 100. Therefore, the pair of floor mats 201 and 202 can be connected in a stable state via the floor mat connector 100, regardless of the intersecting angle of the pair of floor mats 201 and 202.

[0039] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a location in a vehicle interior where a pair of floor mats 201, 202 intersect at an angle of 90°. In FIG. 9, a tunnel section 250 having a substantially straight shape is provided in the center of the vehicle in the left-right direction, bulging upward, through which a shaft member (e.g., a propeller shaft) extending in the vehicle front-rear direction passes. The tunnel section 250 is provided behind a console box 251 and in front of a rear seat 252, and a first floor mat 201 (rear center mat) having a substantially U-shape is arranged so as to cover the upper surface and the left and right side surfaces of the tunnel section 250. Both left and right ends of the first floor mat 201 extend in the up-down direction along the left and right side surfaces of the tunnel section 250. Therefore, the first floor mat 201 intersects with the second floor mats 202 arranged on the left and right sides thereof at 90°, and the above-mentioned floor mat connector 100 can be used for the connecting portion of these floor mats 201, 202.

[0040] According to this embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. (1) The floor mat connector 100 is configured to connect a first floor mat 201 and a second floor mat 202 arranged adjacent to each other via a mat boundary line LN1 (FIG. 1). The floor mat connector 100 has a predetermined width extending in the front-rear direction parallel to the mat boundary line LN1 and a predetermined length extending in the left-right direction beyond the mat boundary line LN1 (FIG. 3). The floor mat connector 100 further includes a first mat holding member 1 having flexibility, which extends from the back surface (lower surface) to the front surface (upper surface) of the first floor mat 201 and is configured to hold an edge portion 200C of the first floor mat 201, and a second mat holding member 2 having flexibility, which extends from the back surface (lower surface) to the front surface (upper surface) of the second floor mat 202 and is configured to hold an edge portion 200C of the second floor mat 202 (FIG. 3). The first mat holding member 1 has protrusions 31, 32 protruding to the right beyond the mat boundary line LN1, and the second mat holding member 2 has protrusions 41, 42 protruding to the left beyond the mat boundary line LN1 (FIG. 5). Shafts 320, 420 protrude from the protrusions 32, 42 along an axis CL1 extending in the front-rear direction, and through holes 310, 410 are provided in the protrusions 31, 41 to support the shafts 320, 420 rotatably about the axis CL1.

[0041] With this configuration, the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are connected to be rotatable about the axis CL1. Therefore, the floor mat connector 100 can be smoothly bent via the connector 3, and when the surfaces of the pair of floor mats 201, 202 are arranged to intersect at a predetermined angle, the floor mat connector 100 can be easily installed between the pair of floor mats 201, 202.

[0042] (2) The first mat holding member 1 includes a pair of protruding portions 31, 32 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction and protrude to the right beyond the mat boundary line LN1 (FIGS. 3 and 5). The second mat holding member 2 includes a pair of protruding portions 41, 42 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction and protrude to the left beyond the mat boundary line LN1 (FIGS. 3 and 5). The pair of protruding portions 31, 32 and the pair of protruding portions 41, 42 are arranged alternately in the front-rear direction (FIG. 5). The protruding portion 32 and the protruding portion 42 are provided with shaft portions 320, 420 that protrude along the axis line CL1, respectively, and the protruding portion 31 and the protruding portion 41 are provided with through holes that support the shaft portions 320, 420 rotatably around the axis line CL1, respectively (FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B). This allows the first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2 to be firmly connected via the pair of shaft portions 320, 420. In addition, since the protrusions 31, 32 and the protrusions 41, 42 are arranged alternately in the front-to-rear direction, the gap in the left-right direction between the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 can be narrowed, and the pair of left and right floor mats 201, 202 can be held in close proximity to each other.

[0043] (3) The pair of protrusions 31, 32 each have a rear end surface 31b and a front end surface 32a that are a pair of opposing surfaces facing each other, and a front end surface 31a and a rear end surface 32b that are a pair of non-opposing surfaces on the opposite side of these opposing surfaces (FIG. 5). The pair of protrusions 41, 42 each have a front end surface 41b and a rear end surface 42a that are a pair of opposing surfaces facing each other, and a rear end surface 41a and a front end surface 42b that are a pair of non-opposing surfaces on the opposite side of these opposing surfaces (FIG. 5). The shafts 320, 420 are respectively provided to protrude along the axis CL1 from the rear end surface 32b that is the non-opposing surface of the protrusion 32 and the front end surface 42b that is the non-opposing surface of the protrusion 42 (FIGS. 5 and 6B). This allows the length from the front end surface of the front shaft 420 to the rear end surface of the rear shaft 320 to be set long. Therefore, even if the floor mats 201, 202 are pulled in different directions, or if the floor mat connector 100 receives an impact from above, such as when the floor mat connector 100 is stepped on by an occupant or an object falls on the floor mat connector 100, a stable connection state between the first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 can be maintained.

[0044] (4) The first mat retaining member 1 has a first back surface portion 11 extending in the left-right direction facing the back surface of the first floor mat 201, a first surface portion 12 extending in the left-right direction facing the front surface of the first floor mat 201 and having a shorter length in the left-right direction than the first back surface portion 11, and a first connecting portion 13 connecting a right end portion of the first back surface portion 11 to a right end portion of the first surface portion 12 (FIG. 3). The second mat retaining member 2 has a second back surface portion 21 extending in the left-right direction facing the back surface of the second floor mat 202, a second surface portion 22 extending in the left-right direction facing the front surface of the second floor mat 202 and having a shorter length in the left-right direction than the second back surface portion 21, and a second connecting portion 23 connecting a left end portion of the second back surface portion 21 to a left end portion of the second surface portion 22 (FIG. 3). The protrusions 31, 32 protrude to the right from the first connection portion 13, and the protrusions 41, 42 protrude to the left from the second connection portion 23 (FIG. 3). This allows the first mat holding member 1 and the second mat holding member 2 to cover the edge portion 200C of the floor mats 201, 202. Therefore, the floor mats 201, 202 can be well held by the floor mat connector 100 without providing a through hole or the like for attaching the connector in the floor mat itself.

[0045] (5) A first convex portion 14 is provided at the left end of the first front surface portion 12 to protrude toward the first back surface portion 11, and a second convex portion 24 is provided at the right end of the second front surface portion 22 to protrude toward the second back surface portion 21. This allows the first convex portion 14 and the second convex portion 24 to be engaged with the recesses 216 of the floor mats 201, 202, and the floor mat connector 100 can be securely attached to the floor mats 201, 202 without falling off from the floor mats 201, 202.

[0046] (6) The first mat retaining member 1 and the second mat retaining member 2 are the same member (FIGS. 3 to 5). This allows the two members to be molded using a single mold, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the floor mat connector 100.

[0047] This embodiment can be modified in various ways. Some modified examples will be described below. The first mat holding member 1 is provided with a pair of protruding parts (first protruding parts) 31, 32 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction (first direction) and protrude to the right (one side in the second direction), and the second mat holding member 2 is provided with a pair of protruding parts (second protruding parts) 41, 42 that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction and extend to the left (the other side in the second direction), but the number of first protruding parts and second protruding parts is not limited to the above. That is, the number of first protruding parts and second protruding parts may be one or three or more.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the shafts 320, 420 are provided to protrude along the axis CL1 from the rear end surface 32b (first non-opposing surface) of the protruding portion 32 and the front end surface 42b (second non-opposing surface) of the protruding portion 42, respectively. However, the shafts can be provided on other surfaces (for example, the first opposing surface where the protruding portions 31, 32 face each other, the second opposing surface where the protruding portions 41, 42 face each other, etc.). In the above embodiment, the shafts 320, 420 are rotatably supported by the through holes 310, 410 provided in the protruding portions 31, 41, but the configuration of the bearings is not limited thereto. In the above embodiment, the protruding portions 31, 32, 41, 42 are provided to protrude in the left-right direction from the first connecting portion 13 and the second connecting portion 23, respectively. However, the first protruding portion and the second protruding portion may be provided to protrude from other positions, such as the first back surface portion 11, the second back surface portion 21, the first surface portion 12, and the second surface portion 22.

[0049] The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modifications, as long as the features of the present invention are not impaired. The above-mentioned embodiment and one or more modifications can be arbitrarily combined, and modifications can be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 first mat holding member, 2 second mat holding member, 3 connecting portion, 11 first back surface portion, 12 first surface portion, 13 first connection portion, 14 first protrusion portion, 21 second back surface portion, 22 second surface portion, 23 second connection portion, 24 second protrusion portion, 31, 32 protrusion portion, 41, 42 protrusion portion, 100 floor mat connector, 200A back surface portion, 200B surface portion, 200C edge portion, 201 first floor mat, 202 second floor mat, 310, 410 through hole, 320, 420 axis portion, LN1 mat boundary line, CL1 axis line

Claims

1. A floor mat connector configured to connect a first floor mat and a second floor mat arranged adjacent to each other via a mat boundary line, the floor mat connector having a predetermined width extending in a first direction parallel to the mat boundary line and a predetermined length extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction beyond the mat boundary line, A first mat holding member having flexibility, the first mat holding member extending from the back surface to the front surface of the first floor mat and configured to hold an edge portion of the first floor mat; A flexible second mat holding member extending from the back surface to the front surface of the second floor mat and configured to hold an edge of the second floor mat, the first mat holding member has a first protruding portion protruding beyond the mat boundary line to one side in the second direction, the second mat holding member has a second protruding portion protruding beyond the mat boundary line to the other side in the second direction, A floor mat connector characterized in that an axis portion protrudes from either the first protrusion portion or the second protrusion portion along an axis extending in the first direction, and a bearing portion is provided on the other of the first protrusion portion or the second protrusion portion for rotatably supporting the axis portion around the axis.

2. 2. The floor mat connector according to claim 1, The first protrusion includes a pair of first protrusions spaced apart from each other in the first direction and protruding beyond the mat boundary line to one side in the second direction, The second protruding portion includes a pair of second protruding portions each protruding beyond the mat boundary line to the other side in the second direction while being spaced apart from each other in the first direction, the pair of first protrusions and the pair of second protrusions are arranged alternately in the first direction, A floor mat connector characterized in that the shaft portion protrudes along the axis from one of the pair of first protrusions and one of the pair of second protrusions, and the bearing portion that supports the shaft portion rotatably around the axis is provided on the other of the pair of first protrusions and the other of the pair of second protrusions.

3. 3. The floor mat connector according to claim 2, The pair of first protrusions each have a pair of first opposing surfaces opposed to each other and a pair of first non-opposing surfaces opposite the first opposing surfaces, The pair of second protrusions each have a pair of second opposing surfaces opposed to each other and a pair of second non-opposing surfaces opposite the second opposing surfaces, A floor mat connector characterized in that the shaft portion protrudes along the axis line from the first non-opposing surface of one of the pair of first protrusions and the second non-opposing surface of one of the pair of second protrusions.

4. The floor mat connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The first mat retaining member has a first back surface portion extending in the second direction facing the back surface of the first floor mat, a first surface portion extending in the second direction facing the front surface of the first floor mat and having a length in the second direction shorter than that of the first back surface portion, and a first connection portion connecting one end of the first back surface portion in the second direction to one end of the first surface portion in the second direction, The second mat retaining member has a second back surface portion extending in the second direction facing the back surface of the second floor mat, a second surface portion extending in the second direction facing the front surface of the second floor mat and having a length in the second direction shorter than that of the second back surface portion, and a second connection portion connecting one end of the second direction of the second back surface portion to one end of the second direction of the second surface portion, A floor mat connector characterized in that the first protrusion protrudes from the first connection portion to one side in the second direction, and the second protrusion protrudes from the second connection portion to the other side in the second direction.

5. 5. The floor mat connector according to claim 4, A floor mat connector characterized in that a first convex portion protrudes toward the first back surface portion from the other end portion in the second direction of the first surface portion, and a second convex portion protrudes toward the second back surface portion from the other end portion in the second direction of the second surface portion.

6. The floor mat connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A floor mat connector, wherein the first mat retaining member and the second mat retaining member are the same member.

Images