Striker structure

Abstract

To prevent a worker from interfering with a striker.SOLUTION: A striker structure 10 is attached to a trunk structure 4 of a vehicle 1 and engages with a catcher 11 provided at an upper end 3U of a trunk lid 3 in a closed state of the trunk lid 3 to maintain the closed state of the trunk lid 3. The striker structure 10 includes: a striker part 12 which protrudes downward from an upper edge 7U of an opening 2A of a trunk chamber 2 and engages with the catcher 11 in the closed state of the trunk lid 3; a handrail part 13 which is connected to a lower end of the striker part 12, forms a rod-like shape extending to the inner side in a vehicle width direction along a ceiling surface of the trunk chamber 2, and is used to assist operation of a worker who works in the trunk chamber 2; and a cover member 14 which is formed by a cushioning material and covers an outer periphery of the hand rail part 13 along the vehicle width direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a striker structure for a trunk lid of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, large buses have a trunk under the floor of the bus, and are configured to store passenger luggage. The opening of the trunk is provided on the side of the bus body, and is opened and closed by a swing-type trunk lid. When the trunk is closed, the opening is closed by the trunk lid, and when the trunk is opened, the trunk lid is pulled up and outward in the vehicle width direction relative to the opening (see Patent Document 1). Also, a structure for holding the trunk lid in a closed position is known which includes a protruding striker that protrudes downward from the upper edge of the opening, and which engages with a catcher provided at the upper end of the trunk lid when the trunk lid is in a closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-6214 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the structure that provides the above-mentioned striker, when the trunk lid is open, the striker protrudes downward from the upper edge of the opening and is exposed and not covered. This means that when a worker is putting luggage in or taking luggage out of the trunk, the worker is likely to interfere with the striker, which may give the worker the impression that they may be harmed (a sense of danger). Therefore, one of the purposes of the striker structure of this invention is to prevent an operator from directly interfering with the striker that protrudes downward from the upper edge of the opening when the trunk lid is open. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be realized in the following aspects or application examples.

[0006] The striker structure according to this application example is attached to a trunk structure having a luggage storage space disposed under a floor of a vehicle, the trunk compartment having an opening communicating between the inside and the outside of the luggage storage space and provided on a side surface of a body of the vehicle, and a trunk lid attached to the side surface of the body and opening and closing the opening, the striker structure engaging with a catcher provided on an upper end portion of the trunk lid when the trunk lid is in a closed state to maintain the trunk lid in a closed state, the striker structure comprising: a striker portion that protrudes downward from an upper edge portion of the opening of the trunk compartment and engages with the catcher when the trunk lid is in a closed state; a handrail portion that is connected to the lower end of the striker portion and has a rod shape that extends inward in the vehicle width direction along the ceiling surface of the trunk compartment and is used to assist the movement of a worker working in the trunk compartment; and a cover member that is made of a cushioning material and covers the outer periphery of the handrail portion along the vehicle width direction.

[0007] According to this striker structure, the handrail is connected to the lower end of the striker, so that when the trunk lid is open, an operator is unlikely to directly interfere with the lower end (tip) of the striker that protrudes downward from the upper edge of the opening. Also, the outer periphery of the handrail is covered with a cover member made of a shock-absorbing material, so that an operator is prevented from directly interfering with the striker structure. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the striker structure of this invention, it is possible to prevent an operator from directly interfering with the striker structure when the trunk lid is open. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams of a striker structure according to an application example and a trunk structure to which this striker structure is applied. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the striker structure of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the striker structure of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the striker portion and the catcher as viewed from the front side of the vehicle. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specified in the embodiments. The configurations of the following embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the embodiments. In addition, they can be selected or combined as necessary.

[0011] Hereinafter, the front-rear direction of a vehicle to which the striker structure according to this embodiment is applied is also referred to as the vehicle length direction, and the left-right direction of the vehicle is also referred to as the vehicle width direction. The up-down direction perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is also referred to as the vehicle height direction. The left-right direction is defined based on the posture of the vehicle facing forward. In the drawings, the front is indicated by "FR", the rear is indicated by "RR", the left is indicated by "LH", the right is indicated by "RH", the up is indicated by "UP", and the down is indicated by "DW".

[0012] [1. Configuration] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a striker structure 10 according to this embodiment and a bus 1 to which the striker structure 10 is applied, and is a cross-sectional view seen from the front of the vehicle. Note that part of the bus 1 is omitted in FIG. 1. The bus 1 is an example of a vehicle to which the striker structure 10 is applied. Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of a part of the left side of the bus 1 viewed from the front to the rear. An example of the bus 1 is a large bus 1 capable of transporting a large number of passengers. The bus 1 is provided with a trunk structure 4 including a trunk compartment 2 provided under the floor of a passenger compartment (not shown) inside the vehicle body, and a trunk lid 3 that opens and closes an opening 2A of the trunk compartment 2.

[0013] The trunk 2 has a luggage storage space 2B disposed under the floor inside. The luggage storage space 2B is a luggage space for storing passengers' luggage and the like, and is a space formed by a first panel 5U and a second panel 5D that constitute a part of the body of the bus 1. The first panel 5U is, for example, a panel that covers the floor surface of the passenger compartment (not shown), is disposed above the luggage storage space 2B, and forms the ceiling surface of the luggage storage space 2B. The second panel 5D is, for example, a panel provided between the front wheels and the rear wheels 6 (not shown), is disposed below the luggage storage space 2B, and forms the floor surface of the luggage storage space 2B.

[0014] An opening 2A that communicates the inside and outside of this luggage storage space 2B is provided in a body side surface 1A of the bus 1. The opening 2A is formed in a rectangular shape, for example, when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction. The opening 2A serves as an opening for loading and unloading luggage into and from the luggage storage space 2B. The vertical position of an upper edge 7U of the opening 2A is set to be substantially the same as the ceiling surface of the luggage storage space 2B, and the vertical position of a lower edge 7D of the opening 2A is set to be substantially the same as the floor surface of the luggage storage space 2B. Note that substantially the same does not only mean the same, but also means that they are not the same but can be considered to be the same.

[0015] The trunk compartment 2 may be structured, for example, such that the luggage storage space 2B is formed as a space connecting the left side (body side surface 1A shown in Figure 1) and the right side of the bus 1, and openings 2A are provided on both the left and right sides of the bus 1. In this case, a worker who puts luggage in or takes luggage out of luggage storage space 2B can access the inside of luggage storage space 2B from either the left or right side of bus 1.

[0016] The trunk lid 3 is an openable / closable lid that closes the opening 2A to isolate the inside and outside of the luggage storage space 2B. The trunk lid 3 is formed of a panel member having a contour shape (e.g., rectangular) that follows the opening 2A, and when the trunk lid 3 is in a closed state, it fits into the opening 2A and forms part of the body side surface 1A of the bus 1. In Fig. 1, the trunk lid 3 drawn with a solid line is in an open state with the opening 2A open, and the trunk lid 3 drawn with a dashed line is in a closed state with the opening 2A closed.

[0017] The trunk lid 3 is attached to the vehicle body so as to be displaceable (capable of opening and closing) between the above-mentioned open and closed states via arm members 8. Specifically, the arm members 8 are attached to both end portions 3A (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1) in the front-rear direction of the trunk lid 3. Note that FIG. 1 shows an example in which each arm member 8 at both end portions 3A has two arms spaced apart from each other above and below.

[0018] A pillar 9 is provided on the vehicle body side surface 1A side, standing between an upper edge 7U and a lower edge 7D of the opening 2A, as a base for supporting the trunk lid 3. A pair of pillars 9 are provided corresponding to both ends 3A of the trunk lid 3, but only one of them is shown in FIG. One end of the arm member 8 is supported so as to be freely swingable with respect to a pillar 9. The other end of the arm member 8 is supported so as to be freely swingable on the rear surface of the trunk lid 3 (the surface facing inward in the vehicle width direction).

[0019] When the trunk lid 3 is opened from the closed state shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1, the trunk lid 3 swings outward and upward in the vehicle width direction from a position where the opening 2A is closed, and moves to the open state shown by the solid line in Fig. 1. At this time, the vertical position of the lower end portion 3D of the trunk lid 3 is set above the upper edge portion 7U of the opening 2A. Therefore, in a side view, the lower end portion 3D of the trunk lid 3 does not overlap the upper edge portion 7U of the opening 2A in the open state, so that the entire opening 2A can be opened. This is advantageous in that it allows wider access to the inside of the luggage storage space 2B.

[0020] When the trunk lid 3 is closed from the open state shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, the trunk lid 3 swings inwardly and downwardly in the vehicle width direction from the above-mentioned open state to the closed state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1 swings in the vehicle width direction to open and close, it can be said to be a swing-type trunk lid 3. Note that a biasing member (not shown) such as a gas spring may be attached to the arm member 8 to bias and support the trunk lid 3 in the opening direction.

[0021] Furthermore, a plurality of trunk lids 3 may be provided for the opening 2A of the luggage storage space 2B. That is, in a side view seen from the vehicle width direction, a plurality of trunk lids 3 may be arranged side by side in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the opening 2A of the luggage storage space 2B may be closed by the plurality of trunk lids 3. In this case, the arm member 8 and pillar 9 are provided corresponding to each trunk lid 3. A striker structure 10 and a catcher 11, which will be described later, are provided corresponding to each trunk lid 3.

[0022] A striker structure 10 and a catcher 11 are provided as structures for holding the trunk lid 3, which swings open and closed, in a closed state. The striker structure 10 is disposed across an upper edge 7U of the opening 2A of the trunk compartment 2 and a first panel 5U forming the ceiling surface of the trunk compartment 2. The striker structure 10 is made of a rod-shaped member formed in a U-shape (see FIG. 2) that is convex downward when viewed from the front-rear direction. The rod-shaped member forming the striker structure 10 is disposed in a position extending along the vehicle width direction, with one end attached to the vehicle front-rear direction center of the upper edge 7U of the opening 2A and the other end attached to the first panel 5U. For the rod-shaped member forming the striker structure 10 in FIG. 1, a cylindrical member having a circular cross section along the radial direction is used as an example.

[0023] The catcher 11 is provided at the center of the upper end 3U of the trunk lid 3 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and is a member that engages with the striker structure 10 and maintains this engaged state. The catcher 11 has a bifurcated opening / closing mechanism 11A (shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1 ), and the opening / closing mechanism 11A is opened or closed by pulling an opening / closing handle (not shown) provided on the outer surface of the trunk lid 3, thereby engaging and disengaging the striker structure 10. The catcher 11 is disposed in a position where it can be engaged with the striker structure 10 when the trunk lid 3 is in a closed state. When the trunk lid 3 is in a closed state, the striker structure 10 engages with the catcher 11, and the trunk lid 3 is maintained in a closed state.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the striker structure 10, showing the trunk lid 3 in a closed state. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an enlarged view of a part of the striker structure 10 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. Note that a part of the bus 1 is omitted in Figs. 2 and 3. Note that the catcher 11 is omitted in Fig. 2. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the striker structure 10 includes a striker portion 12 which is the part that engages with the catcher 11, a handrail portion 13 (shown by a dashed line in the figures) which is connected to the lower end of the striker portion 12 and is used to assist the movement of a worker working in the trunk compartment 2, and a cover member 14 which covers the outer periphery of the handrail portion 13.

[0025] The striker portion 12 is a portion provided at one end (the outer end in the vehicle width direction) of the striker structure 10, and is attached to a central portion in the vehicle front-rear direction of an upper edge portion 7U of the opening 2A, and protrudes (hangs down) downward from the upper edge portion 7U. The striker portion 12 includes a rod-shaped portion that can engage with the catcher 11 when the trunk lid 3 is in a closed state. The dimension by which the striker portion 12 protrudes downward from the upper edge portion 7U can be appropriately set in relation to the catcher 11. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the catcher 11 and the striker portion 12 viewed from the front side of the vehicle. When the trunk lid 3 is in a closed state, as shown in FIG. 4, the striker portion 12 engages with an opening / closing mechanism 11A of the catcher 11 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in the drawing).

[0026] The handrail portion 13 is a portion extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the striker portion 12 along the vehicle width direction. Specifically, one end 13A of the handrail portion 13 (the end portion on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, see Figs. 3 and 4) forms a bent portion bent from the lower end of the striker portion 12 toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction, and the handrail portion 13 extends toward the inner side in the vehicle width direction via this bent portion. The handrail portion 13 is disposed below the first panel 5U forming the ceiling surface of the trunk compartment 2 and approximately parallel to the first panel 5U.

[0027] One end (the end on the outer side in the vehicle width direction) of the handrail portion 13 is the lower end of the striker portion 12, and is fixed to the upper edge portion 7U of the opening 2A via the striker portion 12. The other end 13B (the end on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, see FIG. 2) of the handrail portion 13 is provided with a bent portion bent upward, and is fixed to the first panel 5U at a fixed end 13C (see FIG. 2) extending upward via the bent portion. More specifically, the fixed end 13C of the handrail portion 13 is fixed to the body frame 5F that supports the underside of the first panel 5U.

[0028] A worker working in the trunk room 2 can hold onto the handrail 13 and support his / her body when entering the trunk room 2 to put or take out luggage. In other words, the handrail 13 has a function of assisting the movement of the worker working in the trunk room 2. In addition, in the handrail portion 13 shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the bent portions provided at one end 13A and the other end 13B are formed with rounded corners that are curved in a curved surface shape.

[0029] The cover member 14 is made of a shock-absorbing material and is a protective cushion that covers the outer periphery of the handrail portion 13. Examples of the shock-absorbing material used for the cover member 14 include synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene, and rubber. The cover member 14 in Figs. 1 to 3 covers the entire outer periphery of the handrail portion 13 and is formed in a cylindrical shape extending along the vehicle width direction.

[0030] The cover member 14 shown in Figures 1 to 3 has one end 14A (the outer end in the vehicle width direction, see Figure 3) positioned further inward in the vehicle width direction than the bent portion at one end 13A of the handrail portion 13, and its other end 14B (the inner end in the vehicle width direction, see Figure 2) positioned further outward in the vehicle width direction than the bent portion at the other end 13B of the handrail portion 13. In order to reliably avoid interference from workers, it is preferable that the cover member 14 cover as wide an area of ​​the handrail portion 13 as possible.

[0031] Specifically, in order to enhance protection, one end 14A of the cover member 14 is preferably set at a position that covers up to the bent portion at one end 13A of the handrail portion 13. In other words, one end 14A of the cover member 14 is preferably set at a position that is as far outboard as possible in the vehicle width direction and does not interfere with the engagement between the striker portion 12 and the catcher 11. Also, the other end 14B of the cover member 14 may be set at a position that covers the fixed end 13C beyond the bent portion of the other end 13B.

[0032] [2. Effects] The striker structure 10 according to the present embodiment described above provides the following operational effects. In the striker structure 10 according to this application example, the handrail portion 13 is connected to the lower end of the striker portion 12 that engages with the catcher 11, so that when the trunk lid 3 is open, the worker is unlikely to directly interfere with the lower end (tip) of the striker portion 12 that protrudes downward from the upper edge portion 7U of the opening 2A. In addition, the outer periphery of the handrail portion 13 is covered with the cover member 14 made of a shock-absorbing material, so that the worker is prevented from directly interfering with the striker structure 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface of the cover member 14 is located lower than the lower end of the striker portion 12, so that the worker works in the trunk 2 while avoiding the lower surface of the cover member 14. Therefore, the worker is unlikely to interfere with the striker portion 12 (striker structure 10). In addition, even if the worker comes into contact with the striker structure 10, the worker comes into contact with the cover member 14 made of a shock-absorbing material, so that the worker is prevented from directly interfering with the rod-shaped members (striker portion 12 and handrail portion 13) that constitute the striker structure 10. As described above, according to the striker structure 10 of the present invention, it is possible to prevent an operator from directly interfering with the striker structure 10 when the trunk lid 3 is open.

[0033] [3.Others] The shape of the striker structure 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned shape, and may be any shape as long as the striker portion 12 and the handrail portion 13 are connected to the lower end of the striker portion 12. For example, the striker structure 10 may be made of a rod-shaped member that is L-shaped when viewed from the front-rear direction, and the handrail portion 13 may not be fixed to the first panel 5U at the other end 13B side, but may be cantilevered on the upper edge portion 7U of the opening 2A. Furthermore, the rod-shaped member constituting the striker structure 10 is not limited to a cylindrical member, and may be a rectangular rod-shaped member. Furthermore, the cover member 14 is not limited to one that covers the entire outer periphery of the handrail portion 13, but may be shaped to cover only the downward facing surface (a part that is likely to be interfered with by a worker) of the outer periphery of the handrail portion 13. For example, a modified shape of the cover member 14 may be one in which the cross section along the radial direction is semicircular.

[0034] Furthermore, as described above, when multiple trunk lids 3 are provided for the opening 2A of the luggage storage space 2B, the striker structure 10 and the catcher 11 are provided corresponding to each trunk lid 3. One striker structure 10 and one catcher 11 may be provided for one trunk lid 3, or multiple striker structures 10 and multiple catchers 11 may be provided for one trunk lid 3. Also, even when one trunk lid 3 is provided for the opening 2A of the luggage storage space 2B, one striker structure 10 and one catcher 11 may be provided for one trunk lid 3, or multiple striker structures 10 and multiple catchers 11 may be provided for one trunk lid 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 Bus (vehicle) 1A Vehicle side 2. Trunk room 2A opening 2B Luggage storage space 3 Trunk lid 3A both ends 3D bottom edge 3U top end 4. Trunk structure 5U First Panel 5D Second Panel 6 wheels 7D Lower edge 7U upper edge 8 Arm parts 9 Pillar 10 Striker Structure 11 Catcher 12 Striker Section 13 Handrail 13A One end 13B Other end 13C fixed end 14 Cover member 14A one end 14B Other end

Claims

[Claim 1] The vehicle trunk structure includes a trunk room having an internal luggage storage space arranged under the floor of the vehicle, an opening portion provided on a side surface of the vehicle body that communicates the inside and outside of the luggage storage space, and a trunk lid that is attached to the side surface of the vehicle body and opens and closes the opening portion, A striker structure for engaging with a catcher provided at an upper end of the trunk lid when the trunk lid is in a closed state, and for maintaining the trunk lid in a closed state, a striker portion that protrudes downward from an upper edge portion of the opening of the trunk compartment and engages with the catcher when the trunk lid is in a closed state; a handrail portion that is connected to a lower end of the striker portion, has a rod shape that extends inward in the vehicle width direction along a ceiling surface of the trunk compartment, and is used to assist the movement of an operator working in the trunk compartment; a cover member made of a cushioning material and covering an outer periphery of the handrail portion along the vehicle width direction; Equipped with A striker structure characterized by:

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