Instrument panel under cover

Abstract

To suppress, in a vehicle in which a vehicle-side connector is fastened to an undercover for an instrument panel, a deformation of the undercover due to a load applied to the vehicle-side connector when a connected-device-side connector is pulled out from the vehicle-side connector while suppressing an increase in cost of the vehicle.SOLUTION: An undercover for an instrument panel includes: an undercover main body 2; a vehicle-side connector 3 fastened to the undercover main body 2; and a bracket 6 fastened to an instrument panel reinforcement 5. The undercover main body 2 is provided with a protrusion 23 that protrudes backwardly. The bracket 6 is provided with an engaging portion 61 placed under the protrusion 23. When the undercover main body 2 is assembled with a vehicle body from the lower side, the protrusion 23 can be placed at the upper side of the engaging portion 61 while avoiding an interference with the engaging portion 61. When a load that obliquely pulls the vehicle-side connector 3 backwardly and downwardly is applied thereto, the protrusion 23 is engaged with the engaging portion 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an under cover that covers the lower side of an instrument panel of a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) connector fixed to the vehicle side. A vehicle is equipped with a computer called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling an engine and various devices. The OBD connector is connected to the ECU via a cable. By connecting a connection device such as a scan tool to the OBD connector, diagnostic information can be obtained from the ECU to the connection device, and vehicle failures and defective parts can be grasped.

[0003] The OBD2 connector is a connector that has upgraded the OBD connector with different shapes by automobile manufacturers and unified the shapes. In Japan, the OBD2 connector has been mandatory for installation in new vehicles since 2009. And for new vehicles after October 1, 2021, an inspection of connecting a connection device to the OBD2 connector and diagnosing is mandatory in vehicle inspections after October 1, 2024. Therefore, it is expected that the opportunity to attach and detach the connector on the connection device side to the OBD2 connector fixed to the vehicle side will increase in the future.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The OBD2 connector locks into place when the connector on the connected device is inserted straight in. The connector cannot be removed from the OBD2 connector unless the lock is released. However, if a worker unfamiliar with connecting and disconnecting the connector on the connected device tries to remove it without knowing how to release the lock, they may pull on the connector while it is still locked, potentially applying significant stress to the OBD2 connector. Therefore, if the OBD2 connector is fixed to the underbody cover covering the lower part of the vehicle's instrument panel, attempting to remove the connector from the connected device could cause the underbody cover to deform due to the stress applied to the OBD2 connector.

[0006] To prevent such deformation of the underbody cover, measures to improve its rigidity can be considered, such as increasing the size of the metal bracket or increasing the thickness of the underbody cover itself. However, implementing these measures would increase the cost of the vehicle.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to suppress deformation of the under cover body caused by the load applied to the vehicle-side connector when the connecting device-side connector is disconnected from the vehicle-side connector, in a vehicle in which the vehicle-side connector is fixed to the under cover that covers the lower side of the instrument panel, while suppressing an increase in the cost of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The instrument panel under cover according to the present invention comprises an under cover body positioned in front of the driver's seat or passenger's seat of a vehicle and covering the lower side of the instrument panel; a vehicle-side connector fixed to the under cover body, which allows the connection device side connector to be connected by inserting the connection device side connector diagonally forward and upward; and a bracket fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement that supports the instrument panel, wherein a protruding portion projecting toward the rear is provided on the under cover body, and an engaging portion positioned below the protruding portion is provided on the bracket, and when assembling the under cover body to the vehicle body from below, it is possible to insert the protruding portion above the engaging portion while avoiding interference with the engaging portion, and when the connection device side connector is disconnected from the vehicle-side connector, if a load is applied to the vehicle-side connector that pulls it diagonally toward the rear and downward, the protruding portion engages with the engaging portion to suppress deformation of the under cover body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] In a vehicle in which the vehicle-side connector is fixed to an under cover that covers the lower side of the instrument panel, the present invention can suppress deformation of the under cover caused by the load applied to the vehicle-side connector when the connector on the connected device side is disconnected from the vehicle-side connector, while suppressing an increase in the cost of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows the under cover of the instrument panel of the embodiment of the disclosure as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the under cover of the instrument panel in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The under cover 10 of the instrument panel in this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The arrows FR, UP, and RH shown in the following drawings indicate the forward direction (direction of travel), upward direction, and right direction of the vehicle, respectively. The opposite directions of each arrow FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear direction, downward direction, and left direction of the vehicle, respectively. When the directions front / back, left / right, and up / down are simply used in the following description, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the front / back direction of the vehicle, the left / right direction of the vehicle (vehicle width direction), and the up / down direction of the vehicle.

[0012] Figure 1 shows the under cover 10 as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. The under cover 10 is positioned in front of the passenger seat and covers the lower part of the instrument panel 1. As shown in Figure 1, the under cover 10 extends downward from the rear end of the instrument panel 1 and is positioned opposite the feet of the passenger seat occupant. The instrument panel 1 is provided with an airbag housing 11 that houses the passenger-side airbag. The airbag housing 11 is located in front of the passenger seat.

[0013] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the under cover 10 comprises an under cover body 2 and a vehicle-side connector 3. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the under cover body 2 is provided with an inclined surface 21, and a through hole 22 is formed in the inclined surface 21. As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle-side connector 3 is fixed to the under cover body 2 by fitting into the through hole 22. Note that the vehicle-side connector 3 is not shown in Figure 1. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the through hole 22 is located in a position that is hidden from view when seen from the rear, but in Figure 1, part of the under cover body 2 is omitted in order to show the position of the through hole 22 when viewed from the rear.

[0014] The vehicle-side connector 3 is an OBD2 connector. As shown by arrow V1 in Figure 2, the device-side connector 4 can be connected to the vehicle-side connector 3 by inserting it diagonally forward and upward. When the device-side connector 4 is inserted into the vehicle-side connector 3, it locks into place, and the device-side connector 4 remains connected to the vehicle-side connector 3 until the lock is released. By connecting the device-side connector 4 to the vehicle-side connector 3 in this way, diagnostic information can be obtained from the vehicle's ECU to the connected device. To remove the device-side connector 4, with the lock released, the device-side connector 4 can be removed from the vehicle-side connector 3 by pulling it diagonally backward and downward.

[0015] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the under cover 10. As shown in Figure 3, the under cover 10 includes a bracket 6 that is fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 5. The instrument panel reinforcement 5 is a substantially cylindrical metal reinforcing component that extends in the vehicle width direction and supports the instrument panel 1. An under cover fixing bracket 7 is fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement 5. The under cover fixing bracket 7 is located to the left of the bracket 6. The left end of the under cover body 2 is fixed to the under cover fixing bracket 7 with bolts 8.

[0016] As shown in Figures 2-3, the under cover body 2 is provided with a projection 23 that protrudes toward the rear. The bracket 6 is provided with an engaging portion 61 that protrudes toward the front. The engaging portion 61 is located below the projection 23 of the under cover body 2. When assembling the under cover body 2 to the vehicle body, as shown by arrow V2 in Figure 2, the under cover body 2 is moved from bottom to top, and the left end of the under cover body 2 is fixed to the under cover fixing bracket 7 with bolts 8. In the under cover 10, the length of the projection 23 that protrudes toward the rear and the length of the engaging portion 61 that protrudes toward the front are small. Therefore, when assembling the under cover body 2 to the vehicle body, by moving the under cover body 2 upward slightly in front of the assembly position of the under cover body 2, it is possible to avoid interference between the projection 23 and the engaging portion 61, and to position the projection 23 of the under cover body 2 above the engaging portion 61.

[0017] When disconnecting the connector 4 on the connecting device side from the connector 3 on the vehicle side, if the connector 4 is accidentally pulled without releasing the lock, a load is applied to the connector 3 that pulls it diagonally backward and downward, as shown by arrow V3 in Figure 2. When such a load is applied to the connector 3 on the vehicle side, the protruding portion 23 of the under cover body 2 engages with the engaging portion 61 of the bracket 6, and the bracket 6 suppresses deformation of the under cover body 2. Therefore, the under cover 10 can suppress deformation of the under cover body 2 caused by the load applied to the connector 3 on the vehicle side when disconnecting the connector 4 on the connecting device side. Furthermore, since the under cover 10 can suppress deformation of the under cover body 2 by providing the protruding portion 23 on the under cover body 2 and the engaging portion 61 on the existing bracket 6, it can suppress an increase in vehicle costs compared to methods that suppress deformation of the under cover body 2 by means of increasing the thickness of the under cover body 2 or enlarging the bracket.

[0018] <Supplement to the embodiment> The instrument panel under cover of this disclosure is not limited to the above-described form and can be implemented in various forms within the scope of the gist of this disclosure. For example, the vehicle-side connector fixed to the under cover may be a connector other than an OBD2 connector. Also, the under cover to which the vehicle-side connector is fixed may be an under cover located in front of the driver's seat, rather than an under cover located in front of the passenger seat. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0019] 1 Instrument panel, 2 Under cover body, 3 Vehicle-side connector, 4 Connector for connected equipment, 5 Instrument panel reinforcement, 6 Bracket, 7 Under cover fixing bracket, 8 Bolt, 10 Under cover, 11 Airbag internal section, 21 Inclined surface, 22 Through hole, 23 Protruding part, 61 Engaging part.

Claims

[Claim 1] The under cover body is positioned in front of the driver's or passenger's seat of the vehicle and covers the lower part of the instrument panel, A vehicle-side connector fixed to the under cover body, which allows the connector on the connecting device side to be connected by inserting it diagonally forward and upward, It comprises a bracket fixed to the instrument panel reinforcement that supports the instrument panel, A protruding portion is provided on the under cover body that extends toward the rear. An engaging portion is provided on the bracket, located below the protruding portion. When assembling the under cover body to the vehicle body from below, it is possible to insert the protruding portion above the engaging portion while avoiding interference with the engaging portion. An under cover for an instrument panel, characterized in that when the connector on the connecting device side is disconnected from the connector on the vehicle side, if a load is applied to the vehicle side connector that pulls it diagonally toward the rear and downward, the protruding portion engages with the engaging portion to suppress deformation of the under cover body.

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