Instrument panel structure

Abstract

To provide an instrument panel structure that is able to efficiently transmit a load into a cleavage portion from an airbag that is being inflated and deployed even when the cleavage portion is formed at a position apart from a bent portion that project toward a cabin side, in a cross-sectional view viewed from a vehicle width direction.SOLUTION: An instrument panel structure 10 includes an instrument panel 12 having a cleavage portion 16 that is cleaved by transmission of a load from an airbag that is being inflated and deployed. The instrument panel 12 includes: a bent portion 14 that projects toward a cabin side, and is formed apart from the cleavage portion 16 in a vehicle longitudinal direction in a cross-sectional view viewed from a vehicle width direction and; and a guide portion 20 that is provided inside the bent portion 14 and guides, into the cleavage portion 16, the airbag that is being inflated and deployed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an instrument panel structure.

Background Art

[0002] An instrument panel having a cleavage portion (a linear thin-walled portion extending in the vehicle width direction) that cleaves when a load is transmitted from an airbag that expands and deploys has been conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This cleavage portion is formed in a bent portion that protrudes toward the passenger compartment side in a cross-sectional view seen from the vehicle width direction.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As described above, when a bent portion that protrudes toward the passenger compartment side is formed in the instrument panel in a cross-sectional view seen from the vehicle width direction, a space between the airbag before inflation and deployment and the bent portion is widely taken. Therefore, the airbag that has started to expand and deploy tries to expand and deploy toward the space portion (bent portion) that does not hinder its expansion and deployment. However, if the cleavage portion is not formed in the bent portion, in other words, if the cleavage portion is formed at a position away from the bent portion, the load required for cleavage is not efficiently transmitted from the airbag that expands and deploys to the cleavage portion.

[0005] [[ID=�8]] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain an instrument panel structure in which, even when the cleavage portion is formed at a position away from the bent portion that protrudes toward the passenger compartment side in a cross-sectional view seen from the vehicle width direction, the load from the airbag that expands and deploys is efficiently transmitted to the cleavage portion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the instrument panel structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises an instrument panel having a split portion that splits when a load is transmitted from an inflating and deploying airbag, wherein the instrument panel, in a cross-sectional view as seen from the vehicle width direction, has a bent portion that is formed apart from the split portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction and protrudes toward the passenger compartment, and a guide portion provided inside the bent portion that guides the inflating and deploying airbag toward the split portion.

[0007] According to the first embodiment of the invention, in a cross-sectional view from the vehicle width direction, the instrument panel has a bent portion that protrudes toward the passenger compartment, separated from the opening portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Inside the bent portion, there is a guide portion that guides the inflating and deploying airbag to the opening portion. Therefore, the airbag that inflates and deploys toward the bent portion is guided to the opening portion by the guide portion. As a result, the load from the inflating and deploying airbag is efficiently transmitted to the opening portion.

[0008] Furthermore, a second embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention is an instrument panel structure according to the first embodiment, wherein the guide portion is integrally formed on the inside of the bent portion with the vehicle width direction as the normal direction, and is composed of a plurality of flat plate portions, one end in the vehicle front-rear direction located at the split portion.

[0009] According to the second embodiment of the invention, the guide portion is composed of a plurality of flat plate portions integrally formed on the inside of the bent portion with the vehicle width direction as the normal direction, and one end of the plurality of flat plate portions in the vehicle longitudinal direction is located at the rupture portion. Therefore, the airbag that inflates and deploys toward the bent portion is smoothly guided toward the rupture portion, and the manufacturing cost is reduced compared to the case in which the guide portion is not integrally formed with the instrument panel.

[0010] Furthermore, a third embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention is an instrument panel structure according to the second embodiment, wherein the other end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction is located at a hinge portion that rotatably supports one side of the instrument panel having the bent portion that has been split from the split portion.

[0011] According to the third embodiment of the invention, the other end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is located at a hinge portion that rotatably supports one side of the instrument panel having a bent portion that has been split from the split portion. Therefore, the rigidity of the one side of the instrument panel having a bent portion is effectively ensured compared to the case where the other end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is not located at a hinge portion.

[0012] Furthermore, a fourth embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention is an instrument panel structure according to the second or third embodiment, wherein the flat plate portion is formed in the shape of an obtuse triangle with the bent portion as its apex when viewed from the vehicle width direction.

[0013] According to the fourth embodiment of the invention, when viewed from the vehicle width direction, the flat plate portion is formed in the shape of an obtuse triangle with the bent portion as its apex. Therefore, compared to cases where the flat plate portion is not formed in the shape of an obtuse triangle with the bent portion as its apex, the airbag that inflates and deploys toward the bent portion is guided more smoothly toward the tear portion. In this invention, "obtuse triangle shape" also includes a roughly obtuse triangle shape that is not a perfectly obtuse triangle shape.

[0014] Furthermore, the fifth embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention is an instrument panel structure according to any one of the second to fourth embodiments, wherein one end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction is formed to be thicker than the other end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0015] According to the fifth embodiment of the invention, one end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is formed to be thicker than the other end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. Therefore, compared to the case where one end of the flat plate portion in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is formed to be the same thickness as the other end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction, the load from the inflating and deploying airbag is transmitted to the tear portion more efficiently.

[0016] Furthermore, the sixth embodiment of the instrument panel structure according to the present invention is an instrument panel structure according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the instrument panel that has been split from the split portion has a plurality of protruding portions that are integrally formed on the inner side of the other side of the instrument panel that does not have the bent portion, with the vehicle width direction as the normal direction, and one end in the vehicle front-rear direction is located at the split portion.

[0017] According to the sixth embodiment of the invention, a plurality of protrusions are integrally formed on the inner side of the instrument panel that does not have a bent portion, with one end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction located at the split portion and the vehicle's width direction being the normal direction. Therefore, the rigidity of the other side of the instrument panel that does not have a bent portion is effectively ensured compared to the case where a plurality of protrusions are not formed on the inner side of the other side of the instrument panel that does not have a bent portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, even if the split portion is formed at a position away from the bent portion that protrudes toward the passenger compartment when viewed in cross-section from the vehicle width direction, the load from the inflating airbag can be efficiently transmitted to the split portion. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a schematic perspective view of the instrument panel according to this embodiment, as seen from the passenger compartment side. [Figure 2] This is a schematic perspective view showing the instrument panel structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic bottom view showing the instrument panel structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a schematic bottom view showing a modified example of the instrument panel structure according to this embodiment. [Figure 6]It is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 showing an instrument panel structure according to a comparative example.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. For the sake of convenience of explanation, in each figure, the arrow UP shown as appropriate is the upward direction of the vehicle, the arrow FR is the forward direction of the vehicle, the arrow RE is the rearward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow RH is the rightward direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, when the directions of up and down, front and rear, left and right are described without special mention, they indicate up and down, front and rear, left and right in the vehicle. Also, the left and right directions are synonymous with the vehicle width direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, a resin instrument panel (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "instrument panel") 12 provided with an instrument panel structure 10 according to the present embodiment is an instrument panel on the passenger seat side and has a bent portion 14 that bulges toward the passenger compartment side when viewed from the vehicle width direction. This bent portion 14 is formed to extend along the vehicle width direction on the upper side of the instrument panel 12.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a cleavage portion 16 in the instrument panel 12 is formed at a position (a position shifted forward) separated from the bent portion 14 in the front-rear direction. The cleavage portion 16 is a linear thin-walled portion that cleaves when a load is transmitted from an airbag 34 (described later) that expands and deploys, and is composed of a main cleavage portion 16A extending along the vehicle width direction and a sub-cleavage portion 16B extending obliquely from the main cleavage portion 16A.

[0023] The main cleavage portion 16A is formed to be arranged in parallel with the bent portion 14 with a predetermined interval. The sub-cleavage portion 16B extends from both ends in the extending direction of the main cleavage portion 16A to the obliquely forward side and the obliquely rearward side for a predetermined length, and is formed so as to be substantially in a "Y" shape with the main cleavage portion 16A (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0024] Inside the bent portion 14, multiple flat plates (six in the illustration), i.e., flat ribs 20, are integrally formed with the vehicle width direction as the normal direction, serving as guides to guide the inflating and deploying airbag 34 (described later) to the tearing portion 16. Viewed from the vehicle width direction, each rib 20 is formed in the shape of a substantially obtuse triangle with the bent portion 14 as its apex.

[0025] The front end (one end in the front-rear direction) 22 of each rib 20 is located at the split section 16 (main split section 16A), and the rear end (the other end in the front-rear direction) 24 of each rib 20 is located at the hinge section 18 that rotatably supports the lower part 12A (one side having the bent section 14) of the instrument panel 12 that has split from the split section 16. In other words, the tip of the front end 22 of each rib 20 faces the split section 16 (main split section 16A), and the tip of the rear end 24 of each rib 20 faces the hinge section 18 (see Figure 4).

[0026] Furthermore, on the inner side of the upper part 12B of the instrument panel 12 that has split open from the split portion 16 (the other side that does not have the bent portion 14), a plurality of flat plate-like protrusions 26 (four in the illustration) are integrally formed with the vehicle width direction as the normal direction. When viewed from the vehicle width direction, each protrusion 26 is formed in an elongated, roughly rectangular shape with a height lower than the height of the rib 20, which is roughly obtuse triangular (the length of the perpendicular line drawn from the vertex to the base).

[0027] The rear end (one end in the front-rear direction) 28 of each protruding portion 26 is located in the split portion 16 (main split portion 16A), and the front end (the other end in the front-rear direction) 27 of each protruding portion 26 is located in the hinge portion 17 that rotatably supports the upper part 12B of the instrument panel 12. In other words, the tip of the rear end 28 of each protruding portion 26 faces the split portion 16 (main split portion 16A), and the tip of the front end 27 of each protruding portion 26 faces the hinge portion 17 (see Figures 2 to 4).

[0028] The front ends 27 of the two protruding sections 26 on both the left and right sides are located at the left and right ends of the hinge section 17. Furthermore, it is preferable that each rib 20 and each protruding section 26 be provided continuously in the front-rear direction in order to effectively ensure the rigidity of the instrument panel 12 (lower section 12A and upper section 12B). For this reason, in the illustrated example, the two ribs 20 on the left-right central side and the two protruding sections 26 on the left-right central side are formed to be continuous in the front-rear direction (see Figures 2 and 3).

[0029] Furthermore, each rib 20 and each protrusion 26 is formed to be thicker on the side facing the instrument panel 12 (upper side) than on the side away from the instrument panel 12 (lower side). In other words, each rib 20 and each protrusion 26 is formed to gradually become thinner as you move from the instrument panel 12 side towards the airbag 34 side (lower side), which will be described later (see Figure 3).

[0030] For example, in the case of each rib 20, the maximum thickness on the instrument panel 12 side is approximately 4.5 mm, and the minimum thickness on the side away from the instrument panel 12 is approximately 2.5 mm, thus creating a draft angle. This configuration makes it easier to remove the instrument panel 12, which is molded in a mold (not shown), from that mold.

[0031] As shown in Figure 4, an airbag module 30 is located on the inside (back side) of the instrument panel 12. The airbag module 30 consists of an inflator 32 and an airbag 34 to which gas is supplied from the inflator 32. The inflator 32 is a gas generator and is configured to activate when a vehicle collision is detected or predicted (hereinafter referred to as "at the time of collision") and to eject gas instantaneously.

[0032] The airbag 34 is formed into a single bag shape by sewing the outer edges of two base fabrics together, and is installed in a folded state on the inside (back side) of the instrument panel 12. When a vehicle collision occurs, gas ejected from the inflator 32 is supplied to the inside of the airbag 34, causing it to rupture (break) the opening 16 of the instrument panel 12 and inflate and deploy towards the occupant (not shown) seated in the passenger seat.

[0033] The instrument panel structure 10 according to this embodiment, which has the configuration described above, will now be explained in terms of its operation.

[0034] First, the instrument panel structure 100 relating to the comparative example will be described. As shown in Figure 6, in the instrument panel structure 100 relating to this comparative example, the rib 20 is not formed on the inside of the bent portion 104 of the instrument panel 102. Therefore, in a cross-sectional view taken from the vehicle width direction, a wide space S is formed between the folded airbag 34 before inflation and deployment and the bent portion 104.

[0035] Therefore, when a vehicle collision occurs, the airbag 34, which has begun to inflate and deploy, attempts to inflate and deploy towards the space S (bent portion 104) that does not hinder its inflation and deployment. However, the tear portion 106 of the instrument panel 102 is formed at a position away from the bent portion 104 in the front-rear direction (shifted forward). Consequently, the load necessary for tearing from the inflating airbag 34 is not efficiently transmitted to the tear portion 106.

[0036] In contrast, in the instrument panel structure 10 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, a plurality of ribs 20 are integrally formed on the inside of the bent portion 14 of the instrument panel 12, with the vehicle width direction as the normal direction, serving as guides for guiding the airbag 34 to the rupture portion 16, and the front end portion 22 of each rib 20 is located at the rupture portion 16. Therefore, in a cross-sectional view from the vehicle width direction, a wide space S is not formed between the folded airbag 34 before inflation and deployment and the bent portion 14, as shown in the comparative example in Figure 6.

[0037] Therefore, even if the airbag 34, which has begun to inflate and deploy during a vehicle collision, attempts to inflate and deploy toward the bent portion 14, the airbag 34 is smoothly guided toward the tear portion 16 by each rib 20. As a result, the load from the inflating airbag 34 is efficiently transmitted to the tear portion 16, and the tear portion 16 is quickly ruptured (broken) by the inflating airbag 34. In other words, during a vehicle collision, the airbag 34 can be quickly inflated and deployed toward the intended position, effectively restraining the occupant seated in the passenger seat.

[0038] Furthermore, since the guide portion is composed of multiple ribs 20 formed integrally with the instrument panel 12, compared to a case where the guide portion is not formed integrally with the instrument panel 12, for example, where a rectangular flat panel member (not shown) is joined to straddle the bent portion 14 with the approximately vertical direction as the normal direction, and the flat surface of the panel member facing downwards guides the airbag 34 to the rupture portion 16, the weight increase of the instrument panel 12 can be suppressed and its manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0039] Furthermore, since each rib 20 is formed in the shape of a substantially obtuse triangle with the bent portion 14 as its apex when viewed from the vehicle width direction, compared to cases where each rib 20 is not formed in the shape of a substantially obtuse triangle with the bent portion 14 as its apex, for example, where the portion corresponding to the base of the substantially obtuse triangle is cut out in a substantially arc shape so as to be concave upwards, the airbag 34 that inflates and deploys toward the bent portion 14 can be guided toward the rupture portion 16 more smoothly.

[0040] Furthermore, the rear end portion 24 of each rib 20 is located at a hinge portion 18 that rotatably supports the lower part 12A of the instrument panel 12. Therefore, the rigidity of the lower part 12A of the instrument panel 12 can be effectively ensured compared to a case where the rear end portion 24 of each rib 20 is not located at the hinge portion 18.

[0041] Furthermore, multiple protrusions 26 are integrally formed on the inside of the upper part 12B of the instrument panel 12, with their rear end 28 located at the split portion 16, and the vehicle width direction is normal to the protrusions 26. Therefore, the rigidity of the upper part 12B of the instrument panel 12 can be effectively ensured compared to a case where multiple protrusions 26 are not formed on the inside of the upper part 12B of the instrument panel 12.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, the front end 22 of each rib 20 located at the split portion 16 (main split portion 16A) may be formed to be thicker than the rear end 24 located at the hinge portion 18. This increases the rigidity of the front end 22 of each rib 20 compared to the case where the front end 22 of each rib 20 is formed to be the same thickness as the rear end 24.

[0043] Therefore, the load from the inflating and deploying airbag 34 can be transmitted more efficiently to the rupture section 16 (main rupture section 16A) via the front end 22 of each rib 20. In other words, with this configuration, the rupture section 16 is ruptured (broken) more quickly by the inflating and deploying airbag 34, and the airbag 34 is inflated and deployed more quickly to the desired position.

[0044] The instrument panel structure 10 according to this embodiment has been described above based on the drawings. However, the instrument panel structure 10 according to this embodiment is not limited to the illustrated version, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the guide section is not limited to being composed of a plurality of ribs 20.

[0045] Furthermore, there may be multiple bent portions 14, in which case guide portions (multiple ribs 20) are formed on the inside of each bent portion 14. The more ribs 20 there are, the better, and it is not limited to the six shown in the figure. Also, the shape of each rib 20 is not limited to a substantially obtuse triangular shape with the bent portion 14 as the vertex, but is not limited to a shape that can effectively guide the airbag 34 that has begun to inflate and deploy toward the tear portion 16.

[0046] However, if each rib 20 is formed in the shape of a roughly obtuse triangle with the bent portion 14 as its vertex, it is preferable because, compared to, for example, a case where the portion corresponding to the base when viewed from the vehicle width direction is formed in the shape of a roughly pentagon with a roughly rectangular projection toward the airbag module 30, the amount of resin material used when manufacturing the instrument panel 12 can be reduced (the amount of resin material can be minimized), thereby suppressing the increase in weight and manufacturing cost of the instrument panel 12 that would be associated with an increase in resin material. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0047] 10. Instrument Panel Structure 12. Instrument Panel 14. Bending section 16 Cleavage 18. Hinge section 20 Ribs (flat plate section / guide section) 22 Front end (one end in the front-rear direction) 24 Rear end (other end in front-rear direction) 26 Projection part 28 Rear end (one end in the front-rear direction) 34 airbags

Claims

1. It is equipped with an instrument panel having a tear section that ruptures when load is transmitted from an inflating airbag, The aforementioned instrument panel is, In a cross-sectional view from the vehicle width direction, the aforementioned split portion is formed separately from the vehicle's longitudinal direction, and the bent portion is convex toward the passenger compartment side, A guide portion is integrally formed on the inside of the bent portion and guides the inflating and deploying airbag to the tearing portion, It has, The aforementioned guide section is When viewed from the vehicle width direction, it is composed of multiple flat plate sections that are shaped like obtuse triangles with the aforementioned bent section as the apex. The aforementioned flat plate portion is An instrument panel structure in which one end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is located at the split portion, and the other end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is located at a hinge portion that rotatably supports one side of the instrument panel having the bent portion that has split from the split portion, and the one end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction is formed to be thicker than the other end in the vehicle's longitudinal direction.

2. The instrument panel structure according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of protruding portions integrally formed on the inner side of the instrument panel that has been split from the split portion and does not have the bent portion, with one end in the vehicle longitudinal direction located at the split portion.

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