Vehicle assist grip

Abstract

To provide a vehicular assist grip which is excellent in assembling workability.SOLUTION: A vehicular assist grip 10, which is mounted on a vehicle, comprises a grip part 11 and mounting parts 20 provided at both end sides of the grip part 11. The mounting part 20 is provided with: a mounting seat 21 having a fastening hole 21a; a cap 26, turnably connected to the mounting seat 21 through an integral hinge 25, which is locked at a closing position P1 at which the mounting seat 21 is capped; and a cap guide 29 that guides turning operation of making the cap 26 reach the closing position P1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an assist grip for a vehicle that is attached to a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses an assist grip for a vehicle. This assist grip is attached to a vehicle at mounting portions on both ends of the grip portion. The mounting portion is provided with a lid that is integrally molded via a film hinge on a mounting seat having a fastening hole. Such thin film hinges are generally referred to as "integral hinges." In this mounting portion, an engaging claw is provided on the inner wall surface of the lid, and an upright wall erected on the mounting seat is provided with an engaging groove that can fit into the engaging claw.

[0003] With the assist grip configured as described above, the user can rotate the lid to a closed position in which the mounting seat is covered. The lid is then locked in the closed position by the engagement of the engagement claw and engagement groove. When attaching the assist grip to a vehicle, the lid is first opened and the shaft of the fastening member is inserted into the fastening hole of the mounting seat to secure it to the vehicle body. Then, the lid is rotated to the closed position and attached to the mounting seat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-280808 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The assist grip with the above configuration has the advantage of simplifying the structure of the mounting portion by connecting the lid and the mounting seat with an integral hinge. However, this type of assist grip has the problem that the rotation center of the lid is difficult to stabilize due to the structure of the integral hinge being a thin portion. This makes the rotation of the lid in the closing direction, which rotates the lid toward the closed position, unstable. As a result, it becomes difficult for the engagement claw and engagement groove to engage near the closed position of the lid, and variations in assembly make it difficult to lock the lid in the closed position.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an assist grip for a vehicle that is easy to assemble. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is An assist grip for a vehicle that is attached to a vehicle, A grip portion and Mounting portions provided on both ends of the grip portion; Equipped with The mounting portion is provided with a mounting seat, a cap rotatably connected to the mounting seat via an integral hinge and locked at a closed position covering the mounting seat, and a cap guide that guides the rotation of the cap until it reaches the closed position. And, The cap guide has a guide protrusion provided on a wall that stands upright from the mounting seat, and the guide protrusion is configured to slide against a side wall of the cap when the cap rotates toward the closed position. , vehicle assist grip, is located. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] In the assist grip for a vehicle of the above-described aspect, the caps provided on the mounting portions at both ends of the grip portion are rotatably connected to the mounting seats via integral hinges and are locked in a closed position covering the mounting seats. The occupant can assemble the cap by grasping the cap and rotating it from the open position to the closed position. At this time, the cap guides provided on the mounting portions function to guide the rotation of the cap until it reaches the closed position. This cap guide stabilizes the rotation of the cap in the closing direction until assembly is complete, even for caps that use integral hinges, which make it difficult to stabilize the center of rotation.

[0009] According to the above-described aspect, it is possible to provide an assist grip for a vehicle that is easy to assemble. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a roof side structure according to a first embodiment, seen from the inside of a vehicle. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of an assist grip for a vehicle according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a perspective view showing the region A in FIG. 2 of the assist grip for a vehicle according to the first embodiment with the cap in an open position. [Figure 5] 5 is a view of the cap in FIG. 4 as seen from the direction of arrow D1. [Figure 6] A view of the mounting base in Figure 4 as seen from the direction of arrow D2. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the curtain airbag in FIG. 3 when inflated and deployed. [Figure 8] 5 is a perspective view of an assist grip for a vehicle according to a second embodiment, corresponding to FIG. 4. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the above aspects are described below.

[0012] In the above-described vehicle assist grip, it is preferable that the cap guide has a guide protrusion provided on an upright wall that stands upright from the mounting seat, and that the guide protrusion is configured to slide against the side wall portion of the cap when the cap rotates toward the closed position.

[0013] According to this vehicle assist grip, the guide protrusions provided on the upright wall extending from the mounting seat slide against the side wall of the cap as it rotates toward the closed position, thereby guiding the rotation of the cap in the closing direction. By constructing the cap guide using such guide protrusions, the structure of the cap guide can be simplified.

[0014] In the above-described assist grip for a vehicle, it is preferable that the upright wall is provided with a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion that is positioned closer to the integral hinge than the first engaging portion, and the cap is provided with a first engaged portion that engages with the first engaging portion in the closed position and a second engaged portion that engages with the second engaging portion in the closed position.

[0015] According to this assist grip for a vehicle, the first engaged portion of the cap engages with the first engaging portion of the standing wall, and the second engaged portion of the cap engages with the second engaging portion of the standing wall at a position closer to the integral hinge than the first engaged portion and the first engaging portion, thereby finally locking the cap in the closed position. By providing the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion on the standing wall on which the guide protrusion is provided, the structure of the mounting seat can be simplified. Furthermore, by engaging the cap with the standing wall on the mounting seat side at least two locations that are different distances from the integral hinge, the retention reliability of the cap in the closed position can be improved.

[0016] The vehicle assist grip of the above-mentioned aspect is attached to the mounting surface of the interior material opposite the folded curtain airbag, and it is preferable that the mounting portion is configured so that when the cap is in the closed position, the mounting seat is interposed between the portion of the cap excluding the integral hinge and the mounting surface.

[0017] This vehicle assist grip prevents the cap, excluding the integral hinge, from coming into direct contact with the mounting surface of the interior material, thereby minimizing the contact area between the cap and the mounting surface, thereby preventing damage to the cap due to the load received when the curtain airbag inflates and deploys.

[0018] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an assist grip for a vehicle that is attached to a vehicle will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

[0019] In the drawings used in this description, the front of the vehicle is indicated by arrow FR, the upper side of the vehicle is indicated by arrow UP, and the inside of the vehicle is indicated by arrow IN. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the first direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle assist grip, is indicated by arrow X, the second direction, which is its width direction, is indicated by arrow Y, and the third direction, which is its height direction, is indicated by arrow Z.

[0020] (Embodiment 1) As shown in Fig. 1, a roof side structure 101 according to the first embodiment is provided on each of the left and right roof side portions 2 of a vehicle 1. Since the roof side structures 101 are the same on the left and right, Fig. 1 illustrates only the roof side structure 101 on the right side of the vehicle 1.

[0021] The interior space 2a of the roof side portion 2 is covered from the passenger compartment 5 side by an interior material 3. The interior material 3 is made up of a roof head lining and a roof garnish, both of which are made of synthetic resin material.

[0022] The roof side structure 101 includes a curtain airbag 6 that is stored in a pre-folded folded state C1 in the internal space 2a of the roof side portion 2, and a vehicle assist grip (hereinafter simply referred to as an "assist grip") 10 that is attached to the roof side portion 2 of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the assist grip 10 is attached to the attachment surface 3a of the interior material 3 of the roof side portion 2 so as to face the curtain airbag 6 in the folded state C1.

[0023] 1. Structure of curtain airbag 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , in a folded state C1, the curtain airbag 6 is provided so as to extend along the roof side portion 2 in an area above the window portions 4 of the vehicle 1. The curtain airbag 6 is inflated and deployed in a curtain-like manner downward in the vertical direction Z in the passenger compartment 5 by gas supply from an inflator (not shown) that is activated in the event of a collision of the vehicle 1. "Inflating and deploying" here refers to a mode in which the curtain airbag 6, which is pre-folded into a predetermined shape, expands so as to release the folded state during the inflation process. This curtain airbag 6 is arranged so as to cover the multiple window portions 4 on the side of the vehicle 1 in a fully deployed state C2. In this way, the curtain airbag 6 fulfills the function of protecting the heads of occupants.

[0024] 3, the curtain airbag 6 is housed in the internal space 2a of the roof side portion 2 while being held in a case 7. The case 7 is attached to a bracket 9 fixed to an inner panel 8.

[0025] 2. Structure of Assist Grip 10 2, the assist grip 10 of the first embodiment is a member whose longitudinal direction is the first direction X1, whose width direction is the second direction Y, and whose height direction is the third direction Z. The assist grip 10 includes a grip portion 11 and attachment portions 20 provided on both ends of the grip portion 11 in the first direction X1.

[0026] The grip portion 11 is an intermediate portion between the two mounting portions 20, and serves as a gripping area that can be grasped by an occupant. Therefore, when an occupant grasps the grip portion 11 when getting in and out of the vehicle, the grip portion 11 provides a function of supporting the occupant, a so-called "assist grip function."

[0027] The mounting portion 20 is provided with a mounting seat 21 and a cap 26 serving as a lid portion that is rotatably connected to the mounting seat 21 via an integral hinge 25. The integral hinge 25 is a thin, film-like hinge that connects the mounting seat 21 and the cap 26. The mounting seat 21 and the cap 26 are integrally molded from resin together with the integral hinge 25. Use of the integral hinge 25 reduces the number of parts and simplifies the connection structure between the mounting seat 21 and the cap 26.

[0028] A recess 21c that houses the integral hinge 25 is provided at the end of the mounting seat 21 in the first direction X. This allows the integral hinge 25 to be hidden from both sides in the second direction Y by the inner wall surface of the recess 21c when the cap 26 is in the closed position P1. As a result, even if the integral hinge 25 made of a resin material becomes whitened due to bending, the whitened portion can be hidden by the end of the mounting seat 21 and made less noticeable, preventing the appearance of the cap 26 from being impaired.

[0029] The mounting portion 20 is configured so that when the cap 26 is in the closed position P1, the mounting seat 21 is interposed between the portion of the cap 26 excluding the integral hinge 25 and the mounting surface 3a of the interior material 3. In this configuration, the side wall portion 26b, which is the portion of the cap 26 excluding the integral hinge 25, directly contacts the mounting surface 3a, thereby minimizing the contact area between the cap 26 and the mounting surface 3a.

[0030] 3, the mounting portion 20 is fastened to the roof side portion 2 using a fastening bolt member 30 and a nut member 31. For this fastening, the shank 30a of the bolt member 30 is configured to extend into the internal space 2a of the roof side portion 2 through a fastening hole 21a provided in the mounting seat 21. Meanwhile, a nut member 31, into which the shank 30a of the bolt member 30 is threaded, is fixed to the bracket 9 of the inner panel 8.

[0031] 3. Locking structure of cap 26 4, the cap 26 is configured to be rotatable about the integral hinge 25 between a closed position P1 (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line) and an open position P2 (see the position indicated by the solid line). When the cap 26 is in the closed position P1, the seating space 21b of the mounting seat 21 is covered and closed. In contrast, when the cap 26 is in the open position P2, the seating space 21b of the mounting seat 21 is open.

[0032] 4 and 5, a pair of first engaged claws 27 as first engaged portions and a pair of second engaged claws 28 as second engaged portions are provided on an inner wall surface 26a of the cap 26. The second engaged claws 28 are disposed closer to the integral hinge 25 than the first engaged claws 27.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, an upright wall 22 stands in the third direction Z from the mounting seat 21 so as to surround the fastening hole 21a. This upright wall 22 is provided with a pair of first engagement claws 23 as a first engagement portion and a pair of second engagement claws 24 as a second engagement portion. The pair of first engagement claws 23 have a claw shape that protrudes toward each other in the second direction Y. Similarly, the pair of second engagement claws 24 have a claw shape that protrudes toward each other in the second direction Y. The second engagement claws 24 are disposed at a position closer to the integral hinge 25 than the first engagement claws 23. The pair of first engagement claws 23 and the pair of second engagement claws 24 are disposed on both sides of the fastening hole 21a, sandwiching it therebetween.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 6, the mounting portion 20 is configured so that, when the cap 26 is rotated to the closed position P1, the first engaged claw 27 engages and catches on the first engaging claw 23 on the mounting seat 21 side, and the second engaged claw 28 engages and catches on the second engaging claw 24 on the mounting seat 21 side. According to this configuration, the cap 26, at the closed position P1, engages with the standing wall 22 on the mounting seat 21 side at two locations ((the first engaged claw 27 and the first engaging claw 23, and the second engaged claw 28 and the second engaging claw 24)) that are different distances from the integral hinge 25. As a result, the cap 26 is locked and held in the closed position P1.

[0035] Although not specifically shown, when the cap 26 rotates toward the closed position P1, the first engaged claw 27 comes into contact with and is pressed against the first engaging claw 23, temporarily elastically deforming in a direction away from the first engaging claw 23, and then returns to its state before elastic deformation, thereby finally getting caught on the first engaging claw 23. Similarly, when the cap 26 rotates toward the closed position P1, the second engaged claw 28 comes into contact with and is pressed against the second engaging claw 24, temporarily elastically deforming in a direction away from the first engaging claw 23, and then returns to its state before elastic deformation, thereby finally getting caught on the second engaging claw 24.

[0036] In this embodiment, a structure can be employed in which the second engaged claw 28, which is located relatively close to the integral hinge 25, is engaged with the second engaging claw 24, and then the first engaged claw 27, which is located relatively far from the integral hinge 25, is engaged with the first engaging claw 23. With this structure, the engagement structure between the second engaged claw 28 and the second engaging claw 24 can also serve as a guide for the cap 26, which is effective in stabilizing the rotational movement of the cap 26 until it is finally locked at the closed position P1.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, instead of the structure in which the first engageable claw 27 and the second engageable claw 28 are provided on the standing wall 22, a structure in which at least one of the first engageable claw 27 and the second engageable claw 28 is provided directly on the mounting seat 21 may be adopted.

[0038] 6, the structure for locking the cap 26 in the closed position P1 can be changed as needed in terms of the shapes and numbers of the first engaging claw 23, the second engaging claw 24, the first engaged claw 27, and the second engaged claw 28. For example, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the first engaged claw 27 of the cap 26 is changed to an engaging groove (first engaged portion) with which the first engaging claw 23 of the standing wall 22 can engage, and the second engaged claw 28 of the cap 26 is changed to an engaging groove with which the second engaging claw 24 of the standing wall 22 can engage.

[0039] 4. Guide structure of Cap 26 4 and 6, the standing wall 22 is provided with a plurality of guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c that protrude outward at three different positions. The plurality of guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c all extend linearly in the third direction Z, which is the direction along the rotation direction of the cap 26. The guide protrusion 22a is provided on the standing wall 22 in a region near the first engagement claw 23. The guide protrusion 22c is provided on the standing wall 22 in a region near the second engagement claw 24. The guide protrusion 22b is provided on the standing wall 22 in an intermediate region between the guide protrusion 22a and the guide protrusion 22c.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 6 , the guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c are configured to slide against the side wall 26b of the cap 26 when the cap 26 rotates around the integral hinge 25 toward the closed position P1. Therefore, the guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c function as a cap guide 29 that guides the rotation of the cap 26 until it reaches the closed position P1. This stabilizes the closing operation of the cap 26 until it reaches the closed position P1, improving the ease of assembly of the cap 26. Additionally, the guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c also function as reinforcing ribs that reinforce the standing wall 22 by increasing the thickness of the standing wall 22 itself. This increases the rigidity of the assist grip 10.

[0041] The number, arrangement, and shape of the guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c are not limited to those shown in Fig. 4 and can be appropriately changed as needed. For example, instead of the guide protrusion 22a extending linearly in the third direction Z, a guide protrusion consisting of multiple protrusions spaced apart in the third direction Z, or a guide protrusion extending in a curved line in the rotation direction of the cap 26, may be used.

[0042] 5. Installing the assist grip 10 As shown in FIG. 4, when attaching the assist grip 10 to the vehicle 1, first, with the cap 26 in an open state, the shank 30a of the bolt member 30 is inserted into the fastening hole 21a of the mounting seat 21 and screwed into the nut member 31. Thereafter, the cap 26 is rotated in the closing direction about the integral hinge 25 from the open position P2 to the closed position P1 to be assembled. At this time, as described above, the rotational movement of the cap 26 until it reaches the closed position P1 is guided by the cap guide 29. Then, the cap 26 is locked at the closed position P1 by the engagement between the first engaged claw 27 and the first engaging claw 23, and the engagement between the second engaged claw 28 and the second engaging claw 24. This completes the assembly of the cap 26.

[0043] 6. Inflation and deployment of curtain airbag 6 As shown in Fig. 7, the curtain airbag 6 is inflated and deployed from a folded state C1 to a fully deployed state C2 (see Fig. 1) in response to activation of an inflator (not shown). At this time, the interior material 3 is pushed open toward the vehicle interior 5 by the load received from the curtain airbag 6 side. As a result, the covering by the interior material 3 is partially released, allowing the curtain airbag 6 to protrude toward the vehicle interior 5.

[0044] In this embodiment, the mounting portion 20 of the assist grip 10 receives a load F from the curtain airbag 6 side. At this time, the mounting seat 21 of the mounting portion 20 is directly pressed by the load F from the mounting surface 3a of the interior material 3. On the other hand, the side wall portion 26b of the cap 26 is not directly pressed by the mounting surface 3a of the interior material 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cap 26 from being damaged by the load received when the curtain airbag 6 is inflated and deployed.

[0045] According to the above-described first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0046] In the assist grip 10 of the first embodiment, the caps 26 provided on the mounting portions 20 on both ends of the grip portion 11 are rotatably connected to the mounting seats 21 via integral hinges 25 and are locked in a closed position P1 that covers the mounting seats 21. The occupant can assemble the cap 26 by grasping the cap 26 and rotating it from the open position P2 to the closed position P1. At this time, the cap guides 29 (guide protrusions 22a, 22b, 22c) provided on the mounting portions 20 function to guide the rotation of the cap 26 until it reaches the closed position P1. The cap guides 29 can stabilize the rotation of the cap 26 in the closing direction until the assembly of the cap 26 is complete, even if the cap 26 uses integral hinges 25 whose rotation center is difficult to stabilize.

[0047] Therefore, according to the above-described first embodiment, it is possible to provide an assist grip 10 that is easy to assemble.

[0048] According to the assist grip 10 of the first embodiment, the guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c provided on the standing wall 22 standing upright from the mounting seat 21 slide against the side wall 26b of the cap 26 that is turning toward the closed position P1, thereby guiding the turning movement of the cap 26 in the closing direction. By constructing the cap guide 29 using such guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c, the structure of the cap guide 29 can be simplified.

[0049] According to the assist grip 10 of the first embodiment, the first engaging claw 23 and the second engaging claw 24 are provided on the standing wall 22 on which the guide protrusions 22a, 22b, and 22c are provided, thereby simplifying the structure of the mounting seat 21. Furthermore, by engaging the cap 26 with the standing wall 22 on the mounting seat 21 side at two locations that are different distances from the integral hinge 25 (between the first engaged claw 27 and the first engaging claw 23, and the second engaged claw 28 and the second engaging claw 24), the holding reliability of the cap 26 in the closed position P1 can be improved.

[0050] Next, other embodiments related to the above-described embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. In the other embodiments, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements will be omitted.

[0051] (Embodiment 2) As shown in Figure 8, the assist grip 10A of embodiment 2 differs from the assist grip 10 of embodiment 1 in that the second engaging claw 28 on the cap 26 side and the second engaging claw 24 and guide protrusion 22c on the mounting seat 21 side are omitted.

[0052] The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0053] According to the assist grip 10A of the second embodiment, the structures of the cap 26 and the mounting seat 21 can be simplified.

[0054] In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, and various applications and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be implemented by applying the above embodiments.

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, an example is given of assist grips 10, 10A attached to the roof side portion 2 of the vehicle 1, but the structure of these assist grips 10, 10A can also be applied to the structure of an assist grip attached to a location on the vehicle 1 other than the roof side portion 2, if necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 vehicle 2 Roof side 6 Curtain airbags 3 Interior materials 3a Mounting surface 10,10A Assist Grip (Vehicle Assist Grip) 11 Grip section 20 Mounting part 21 Mounting seat 21a Fastening hole 22 Standing wall 22a, 22b, 22c Guide protrusions (cap guide) 23 First engagement claw (first engagement portion) 24 Second engagement claw (second engagement portion) 25 Integral Hinge 26 Cap 26b Side wall part 27 First engaged claw (first engaged part) 28 Second engaged claw (second engaged part) 29 Cap Guide C1 Folded state P1 closed position

Claims

1. An assist grip for a vehicle that is attached to a vehicle, A grip portion and Mounting portions provided on both ends of the grip portion; Equipped with The mounting portion is provided with a mounting seat, a cap rotatably connected to the mounting seat via an integral hinge and locked at a closed position covering the mounting seat, and a cap guide that guides the rotation of the cap until it reaches the closed position, An assist grip for a vehicle, wherein the cap guide has a guide protrusion provided on an upright wall that stands upright from the mounting seat, and the guide protrusion is configured to slide against the side wall portion of the cap when the cap rotates toward the closed position.

2. The erected wall is provided with a first engagement portion and a second engagement portion that is located closer to the integral hinge than the first engagement portion, 2. The assist grip for a vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the cap is provided with a first engaged portion that engages with the first engaging portion in the closed position, and a second engaged portion that engages with the second engaging portion in the closed position.

3. The airbag is attached to the mounting surface of the interior material so as to face the folded curtain airbag.

3. The vehicle assist grip according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion is configured such that when the cap is in the closed position, the mounting seat is interposed between the mounting surface and a portion of the cap excluding the integral hinge.

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