Mounting structure for in-vehicle equipment

Abstract

To provide an attachment structure of an on-vehicle device which can attach an on-vehicle device to an instrument panel easily.SOLUTION: An attachment structure of an on-vehicle device includes: an instrument panel provided at the front of a driver seat in a passenger compartment of a vehicle; a recessed part provided at the instrument panel; a cover member detachably attached to the recessed part; and an on-vehicle device attached to the cover member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting structure for in-vehicle equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a support structure for auxiliary parts in which a case housing the auxiliary parts is attached to an instrument panel. In this support structure, the case housing the auxiliary parts is fixed to the upper surface of the flat portion of the instrument panel via a bracket. More specifically, from top to bottom, the bracket attached to the case, the support plate, the flat portion of the instrument panel, and the retaining plate are arranged so that they overlap. The case housing the auxiliary parts is fixed to the upper surface of the flat portion with screws that penetrate the overlapping points. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-54055 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is desirable to retrofit the above-mentioned auxiliary components and other in-vehicle devices by fitting them into the instrument panel. In the above-mentioned auxiliary component support structure, the auxiliary component case is mounted on a flat portion of the instrument panel. As a result, the auxiliary component protrudes significantly from the surface of the instrument panel, and the auxiliary component can only be mounted in a limited location, such as the flat portion.

[0005] To mount an in-vehicle device in an instrument panel, it is necessary to form an opening in the instrument panel that corresponds to the size and shape of the in-vehicle device, which is a complicated process.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a mounting structure for an in-vehicle device that allows the in-vehicle device to be easily retrofitted in a state where it is fitted into the instrument panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A mounting structure for vehicle-mounted equipment according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises an instrument panel provided in front of the driver's seat inside the vehicle's cabin, a recess provided in the instrument panel, a cover member removably attached to the recess, and vehicle-mounted equipment attached to the cover member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In the above-described mounting structure for on-board equipment, a removable cover member is provided in the recess of the instrument panel, allowing the removed cover member to be easily modified to fit the size and shape of the on-board equipment. The on-board equipment can be mounted in a state where it fits into the recess by attaching the cover member to the instrument panel. This reduces or eliminates the on-board equipment from protruding into the passenger compartment from the instrument panel. Furthermore, the position where the cover member is provided on the instrument panel is not limited to a specific location such as a flat portion. This allows for greater flexibility in the mounting location of the on-board equipment compared to conventional techniques. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of an instrument panel used in a mounting structure for an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the periphery of the service hole cover in the instrument panel of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view, seen from the front side, of a control panel of a refrigerator used in the mounting structure for in-vehicle equipment according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the control panel of FIG. 3 as seen from the side. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An on-vehicle device mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same objects. In each figure, arrows indicate "FR" (front of the vehicle), "RR" (rear of the vehicle), "LH" (left of the vehicle), "RH" (right of the vehicle), "UP" (upper of the vehicle), and "LWR" (lower of the vehicle). This embodiment will be described with reference to an example in which the vehicle is a refrigerated truck and the on-vehicle device is a control panel for a refrigerator unit mounted on the refrigerated truck. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these examples and is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims are intended to be included.

[0011] ≪Overall structure≫ As shown in Fig. 1, the mounting structure for in-vehicle equipment according to the embodiment includes an instrument panel 1 provided in front of the driver's seat inside the cabin of a vehicle, a recess 2 provided in the instrument panel 1, and a cover member 3 detachably attached to the recess 2. One of the features of the mounting structure for in-vehicle equipment described above is that the in-vehicle equipment 4 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is attached to the cover member 3. Details of each part of the mounting structure for in-vehicle equipment according to the embodiment will be described below.

[0012] Vehicles Vehicles to which the mounting structure for on-vehicle equipment according to the embodiment can be applied are not particularly limited as long as they are vehicles equipped with an instrument panel 1 inside the vehicle cabin. Examples of such vehicles include passenger cars, freight vehicles such as vans and trucks, commercial passenger transport vehicles such as buses and microbuses, and specially equipped vehicles. Specially equipped vehicles include refrigerated trucks, refrigerator trucks, crane trucks, tank trucks, vehicle transporters, and concrete mixer trucks. The vehicle in this example is a cab-over type refrigerated truck equipped with a refrigerator unit. Furthermore, the vehicle may be an automobile equipped with an internal combustion engine, or an electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle.

[0013] <Instrument panel> The instrument panel 1 is an instrument panel located in front of the driver's seat inside the vehicle. Various meters necessary for driving, an air conditioning system, an audio system, a glove box, etc. are arranged on the instrument panel 1. The instrument panel 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes mounting holes 10 for the various meters, a through-hole 11 for the steering column, a navigation system display 13, mounting holes 14 for the audio and air conditioning system control panels, and a glove box 15. The glove box 15 is provided in front of the passenger seat. The glove box 15 includes a rotatable lid 151. The lid 151 opens and closes the glove box 15 by rotating around a shaft provided at the lower edge of the glove box 15. This shaft extends in the vehicle width direction.

[0014] <Concave> Furthermore, the instrument panel 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a recess 2. In this example, the recess 2 is a storage compartment provided above the glove compartment 15. This storage compartment is a recessed area toward the front of the vehicle when viewed from the passenger seat side. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the recess 2 has an upper surface 21, a lower surface 22, a back surface 23, and left and right side surfaces 24, 24. The upper surface 21 and the lower surface 22 are configured as surfaces that slope downward from the rear to the front of the vehicle. The back surface 23 connects the edges of the upper surface 21 and the lower surface 22 toward the front of the vehicle. The left and right side surfaces 24, 24 have a smaller depth than the upper surface 21 and the lower surface 22. The front of the storage compartment in this example is open and has no lid. The storage compartment may be located not only above the glove compartment 15 but also in other locations on the instrument panel 1, such as in front of the driver's seat. Another example of the recess 2 is a storage compartment with a lid on the front surface that opens and closes the opening. Such storage compartments with lids are generally called passenger seat upper boxes or instrument upper boxes.

[0015] <Cover material> As shown in FIG. 2 , the recess 2 is provided with a removable cover member 3. In this example, the cover member 3 is located at the back of the storage compartment. More specifically, the cover member 3 is formed by a portion of the upper surface 21 and a portion of the rear surface 23 of the recess 2. That is, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, the cross section of the cover member 3 is approximately L-shaped. When viewed from the front of the vehicle from the passenger seat, the outline of the cover member 3 is rectangular. In this example, the cover member 3 is a service hole cover 31 that is removed when connecting a wire harness, etc. When installing the on-board device 4 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cover member 3 is removed from the instrument panel 1 and processed to fit the on-board device 4. One example of this processing is to provide an opening in the cover member 3 to fit the on-board device 4.

[0016] ≪In-vehicle equipment≫ The on-board equipment 4 includes various devices that are mounted on the vehicle by being attached to the instrument panel 1. Specific examples of the on-board equipment 4 include a navigation system, a display, an audio system, and a radio. In the case of a specially equipped vehicle, an example of the on-board equipment 4 is a control panel for parts or devices that are suited to a specific use or purpose. In this example, the on-board equipment 4 is a control panel 41 for a refrigerator.

[0017] An example of a control panel 41 for a refrigerator is shown in Figures 3 and 4. This control panel 41 is a roughly block-shaped member. As shown in Figure 3, the front of the control panel 41 has operation buttons 42 for adjusting the refrigerator temperature and a display screen 43 for displaying the set temperature and other information. As shown in Figure 4, the back of the control panel 41 has a mounting portion 44 for cantilevering the control panel 41 on the instrument panel 1 and a connector for connecting the electric wires of the control panel 41. The connector is not shown. Cushioning materials 45 are provided on the top and bottom surfaces of the control panel 41. When the in-vehicle device 4 is attached to the cover member 3, the cushioning materials 45 prevent the cover member 3 and the in-vehicle device 4 from coming into contact with each other due to vehicle vibrations, causing abnormal noise. The cushioning material 45 used in this example is felt.

[0018] Such a control panel 41 is attached to the cover member 3 that has been subjected to the predetermined processing described above. Furthermore, the cover member 3 with the control panel 41 attached is attached to the recessed portion 2. FIG. 5 shows the state in which the cover member 3 with the control panel 41 attached is attached to the recessed portion 2. As shown in FIG. 5, most of the control panel 41 is attached to the instrument panel 1 while being housed inside the recessed portion 2. Furthermore, although not shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the rear side of the control panel 41 is attached while being fitted into the back side of the instrument panel 1. By attaching the control panel 41 in this manner, cushioning materials 45 provided on the top and bottom surfaces of the control panel 41 are compressed between the cover member 3 or the recessed portion 2 and the opening edge.

[0019] <In-vehicle device ejection prevention structure> Additionally, it is preferable to provide a structure that prevents the in-vehicle device 4 from projecting into the interior of the vehicle during a frontal collision. In the mounting structure for the in-vehicle device 4 of this example, the lid 151 of the glove box 15 described above is used to prevent the in-vehicle device 4 from projecting out. For example, when viewed from the side of the vehicle, the upper edge of the lid 151 in the closed state may be positioned rearward and above the lower edge of the in-vehicle device 4. The overlap L between the lower edge of the in-vehicle device 4 and the lid 151 of the glove box 15 in the vertical direction is shown in FIG. 5 . The overlap L must be long enough to prevent the in-vehicle device 4 from projecting out while not interfering with the operation of the in-vehicle device 4. An example of the overlap L is 5 mm to 10 mm. The lid 151 of the glove box 15 is opened and closed by rotating its upper edge in an arc. However, when the lid 151 is closed, a locking mechanism (not shown) prevents the lid 151 from opening easily. Therefore, even if the on-board device 4 attempts to move rearward due to a load from the front of the vehicle during a frontal collision, the on-board device 4 can be prevented from jumping out to a certain extent. The structure for preventing the on-board device 4 from jumping out may be a member other than the lid 151 of the glove box 15. For example, a protrusion located rearward and above the lower edge of the on-board device 4 may be provided on part of the instrument panel 1.

[0020] <<Installation procedure for in-vehicle devices>> The procedure for installing the vehicle equipment is as follows: (a) The cover member 3 provided in the recess 2 is removed. (b) The removed cover member 3 is processed according to the in-vehicle device 4. For example, an opening according to the size and shape of the in-vehicle device 4 is formed in the cover member 3. (c) The wire harness (not shown) is pulled out from the opening of the instrument panel 1 with the cover member 3 removed. (d) Pass the wire harness through the opening of the removed cover member 3. (e) The cover member 3 with the wire harness passed through it is attached to the opening of the instrument panel 1. (f) Connect the in-vehicle device 4 to the wire harness. (g) The in-vehicle device 4 connected to the wire harness is installed in the opening of the cover member 3.

[0021] Effect The mounting structure for vehicle-mounted equipment according to the above embodiment can achieve the following effects. (1) Excellent workability in installing the in-vehicle device 4. By providing the detachable cover member 3 in the recess 2 of the instrument panel 1, the removed cover member 3 can be easily processed according to the size and shape of the in-vehicle device 4. In other words, there is no need to directly process the instrument panel 1 itself. As a result, by attaching the cover member 3 with the in-vehicle device 4 attached to the instrument panel 1, the in-vehicle device 4 can be easily installed on the instrument panel 1.

[0022] (2) The on-board device 4 is less likely to protrude into the vehicle cabin. By attaching the cover member 3 with the on-board device 4 mounted to the instrument panel 1, the on-board device 4 can be installed in a state where it is fitted into the recess 2. Therefore, the on-board device 4 is less likely to protrude into the vehicle cabin from the instrument panel 1. In particular, by using the recess 2 as a storage compartment, the on-board device 4 is less likely to protrude into the vehicle cabin even if it is installed in part of the recess 2.

[0023] (3) The degree of freedom in the mounting location of the in-vehicle device 4 can be increased compared to the prior art. The position where the cover member 3 is to be mounted can be selected from various positions on the instrument panel 1. Therefore, the position where the cover member 3 is to be mounted is not limited to a specific location such as a flat portion of the instrument panel 1. In particular, when a control panel 41 for a specially equipped vehicle such as a refrigerated truck is retrofitted to a standard vehicle, if a storage compartment is used as a mounting location for the control panel 41, the control panel 41 can be mounted even if there is not enough other mounting space.

[0024] (4) If the cover member 3 is the service hole cover 31, it can be easily attached to and detached from the instrument panel 1. This is because the service hole cover 31 is configured to be detachable in advance. In particular, if the cover member 3 is the service hole cover 31, it is easy to route the wire harness connecting the in-vehicle device 4 and the connection target, and to connect the in-vehicle device 4 or the connection target to the wire harness.

[0025] (5) By providing a structure to prevent the in-vehicle device 4 from jumping out, it is possible to prevent the in-vehicle device 4 from jumping out into the vehicle cabin in the event of a frontal collision. In particular, by using the lid 151 of the glove compartment 15 for this structure to prevent the in-vehicle device 4 from jumping out, it is possible to easily prevent the in-vehicle device 4 from jumping out without significantly modifying the structure of the instrument panel 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1. Instrument panel 10. Mounting holes for meters 11 Steering column through hole 13. Display 14 Audio and climate control panel mounting holes 15 Glove box 151 Lid 2 recesses 21 Top side 22 Bottom side 23 Back 24 Side 3 Cover member 31 Service hole cover 4 In-vehicle equipment 41 Refrigerator control panel 42 Operation buttons 43 Display screen 44 Mounting part 45 Cushioning material L Overlap allowance

Claims

[Claim 1] an instrument panel provided in front of a driver's seat in a vehicle interior; a recess provided in the instrument panel; a cover member detachably attached to the recess; an in-vehicle device attached to the cover member, The cover member is a service hole cover.

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