JPH0519230Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an automobile instrument panel.

[Prior Art] An automobile's instrument panel incorporates various meters, switches, accessories, etc., and is therefore the part that is most visible to the driver, and great care is taken to ensure its aesthetic appearance. On the other hand, the position of the car body pillars varies slightly from car to car even within the same model due to assembly errors, etc. Therefore, the joints between the side edges of the instrument panel and the car body pillars should be adjusted to avoid overlapping. , it is set in advance to create a gap, and this gap significantly impairs the aesthetic appearance of the instrument panel.

Therefore, one of the conventional methods to hide such gaps is to use a side cover made of a flexible material that expands and contracts according to the size of the gap and hides the gap between the instrument panel and the pillar. A method of attaching it to a gap is known.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 7, a mounting structure for such a side cover is such that a mounting portion 4 having a groove 3 extending in the vertical direction is integrally provided at the side end of the instrument panel 1. Holes 6 are provided at the bottom of the groove 3 of the mounting portion 4 at predetermined intervals, and pawls 7 are provided in the side cover 2 at positions corresponding to the holes 6, so that the side cover 2 can be attached to an instrument panel. It has been proposed that the device be attached by pressing vertically against the side portion 8 of the attachment portion 4 and inserting the pawl 7 into the hole 6 while fitting into the groove 3 of the attachment portion 4.

However, in the conventional method as described above, the first
In addition, since the side cover 2 is provided with pawls 7 corresponding to the holes 6, the cross-sectional shape is not uniform, which increases the production cost when molding using the injection and extension method. Since it has to be installed by inserting it into the hole 6, installation takes time and work efficiency is poor. Thirdly, the amount of force applied to the side of the side cover 2 is different depending on where the pawl 7 is and where it is not. There was a problem in that the side cover 2 had a wavy deformation in the longitudinal direction, giving it an unsightly appearance.

In addition, instead of providing a side cover, a flange is provided at the side end of the instrument panel to cover the gap between the instrument panel and the pillar, and when the instrument panel is attached or detached, the flange is bent at the thin hinge part. Although a method has been proposed (see Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-52528), the manufacturing method is complicated and the thin hinge part is easily damaged.

[Purpose of the invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a mounting structure for a side cover of an instrument panel that is easy to install, has a good appearance, and has a low production cost. The purpose is to

[Structure of the invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the invention has a structure that connects the side end of the instrument panel with the vehicle body pillar.
In the case where a side cover is attached that expands and contracts depending on the gap, the neck of a protrusion continuous in the longitudinal direction of the side cover is locked in a groove at the side end of the instrument panel. and a connecting part connecting the right and left sides of the groove, and the side cover can be inserted from the upper end in the longitudinal direction of the groove.

[Effects of the invention] According to the invention, since it is sufficient to provide the side cover with a protrusion that extends (continuously) in the longitudinal direction, the shape of the cross section becomes uniform, so it can be molded by extrusion method. Costs can be reduced, and since the protrusions are continuous, no wavy deformation will occur on the outer surface of the side cover after installation, improving the aesthetic appearance. Further, since the side cover is attached by being inserted from above into a groove having a locking portion in the instrument panel, it can be quickly attached and removed.

[Example] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

As shown in Figure 6, various meters, switches,
An instrument panel 11 in which accessories and the like are incorporated is provided adjacent to the lower part of the windshield 12, and a side cover 1 is provided between the side end of the instrument panel 11 and the vehicle body pillar 13.
4 is installed to hide gaps that are aesthetically undesirable.

As shown in FIG. 1, a groove 16 for attaching a side cover 14, which is integrally formed with a side wall 15 of the instrument panel 11, is provided at a side end of the instrument panel 11. In this groove portion 16, there is a front support wall 17 and a rear support wall that extend continuously in the vertical direction and rise vertically outward from the side wall 15 of the instrument panel 11 at an appropriate height h. 18 are integrally provided so as to face each other at a predetermined distance d.

Then, the above-mentioned front side support wall 17 and rear side support wall 1
8, there is a connecting part 1 that connects these to each other.
9 (see FIG. 3), and both front and rear locking portions 21 and 22 that are designed to grip the neck portion 20 of the side cover 14 from the front and rear, respectively, as will be explained in detail later. (see FIG. 2) are integrally provided alternately in the longitudinal direction of the groove portion 16.

On the other hand, the side cover 14 made of a flexible material has a uniformly shaped cross section (see FIG. 4), and its length in the vertical direction is equal to the groove portion 16.
The side cover 14 has an elongated shape that corresponds to the vertical length of the instrument panel 11 and the vehicle body pillar 13.
(See Fig. 6) The decorative part 24 has a structure that can expand and contract in the direction across the gap depending on the size of the gap so as to hide it. Both front and rear locking parts 2
The neck part 20 is sandwiched between 1 and 22 and is designed to be held, and the side cover 14 is inserted into the groove part 16.
and a bulge 25 for locking to the side wall 15 of the instrument panel 11 so as not to be dislodged vertically outward. The neck portion 20 and the bulge portion 25 constitute a protrusion 26.

To attach the side cover 14 to the groove 16, first lift the side cover 14 to a position where its lower end is at the same height as the upper end of the groove 16, and then, while maintaining this height, lower the side cover 14 to the groove 16. The lower end of the neck 20 of the cover 14 is located at the top of the groove 16. The neck part 2 is positioned between the upper end of the front locking part 21 and the upper end of the rear locking part 22, and as shown by the arrow
0 is inserted between the locking parts 21 and 22 in the groove part 16.
It can be easily installed by inserting it in the longitudinal direction.

In this way, the side cover 14 attached to the groove 16 has the bulge 25 and the decorative part 24 in close contact with both the front and rear locking parts 21 and 22, as shown in FIG. This prevents rattling from occurring.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the connecting part 19 of the groove part 16 is formed in a U-shape receding rearward when viewed from the side cover 14, so that when inserting the side cover 14 into the groove part 16, It has come to be no longer a hindrance.

In this embodiment, the decorative portion 24 of the side cover 14 has a cross section as shown in FIG. 4, but the shape of the decorative portion 24 is not limited to this. As long as it can be expanded and contracted appropriately in the direction across the gap, it may have any shape that matches the design of the interior of the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the decorative portion 24' may have a convex cross section.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an instrument panel and a side cover showing an embodiment of the present invention. Second
3 are an enlarged sectional view taken along the line A-A and an enlarged sectional view taken along the line B-B of the instrument panel shown in FIG. 1, respectively. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the side cover according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a side cover showing an embodiment in which the design of the decorative part is changed. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the side cover is attached to the instrument panel. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an instrument panel and a side cover equipped with a conventional mounting structure. 11...Instrument panel, 13...Pillar, 14...Side cover, 16...Groove, 1
9... Connecting part, 21, 22... Locking part, 26...
Projection.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A side cover is attached to the side end of the instrument panel to cover the space between it and the vehicle body pillar while expanding and contracting according to the distance therebetween, the side end of the instrument panel mentioned above. A locking portion to which a neck portion of a protrusion continuous in the longitudinal direction of the side cover is locked, and a connecting portion connecting the left and right sides of the groove are formed in the groove, and the side cover is fixed in the longitudinal direction of the groove. An automobile instrument panel characterized in that it can be inserted from the top end.