JPH11321385A - Facia for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the facility of maintenance, and facilitate internal packaging works for a vehicle by directly mounting the various kinds of instruments onto a reinforcing bar, and covering the instruments with a facia used as a cover body. SOLUTION: The various kinds of instruments such as an information indicating instrument 25, an air conditioner operating instrument 26 and an audio instrument 27 and the like, which have to be monitored and actuated by an occupant, are directly mounted on a reinforcing bar 30. A facia 10 formed into a specified shape, can keep its specified initial shape because no weight of each instrument is applied thereto, and is so stiff as to be specifically good enough as inner packaging material. The installation of the facia 10 onto a car body thereby allows the forward portions of a driver's seat and font passenger's seat to be entirely covered with the facia 10, and also allows the various kinds of the instruments 25, 26 and 27 to be faced to a plurality of openings 11, 12 and 13 opened in the suitable places of the facia 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fascia for a vehicle, and more particularly, various devices such as a speedometer and an audio unit directly attached to a reinforce bar located in front of a driver's seat of a vehicle, which can be detachably attached to the fascia. The present invention relates to a fascia for a vehicle which is configured to be covered so as to achieve the convenience of maintenance and the simplification of a vehicle interior work.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a dashboard (also referred to as an instrument panel) on which various devices such as a speedometer, an audio device, and an airbag are mounted is disposed in front of a driver's seat and a passenger seat of a passenger car. This dashboard occupies an important position as a vehicle interior material, and the attachment of the above-mentioned devices to the dashboard is performed as shown in FIG. That is, the dashboard 60 shown in FIG. 7 has an opening 61 for allowing attachment of the information display device 25 such as a meter, an opening 62 for allowing insertion of a handle column, and an opening for allowing attachment of the air-conditioning operation device 26. 63, opening 6 to allow attachment of audio equipment 27
As many as 4 are set up. In the conventional dashboard 60, information display devices such as the above-described meters are used.
(Equipment that requires monitoring by passengers such as the driver's seat)
25 is directly attached to the opening 61, and the air-conditioning operation device 26 and the audio device 27 (devices requiring operation by the occupant) are directly attached to the openings 63 and 64. Has become. Generally, after the dashboard 60 is previously mounted and fixed in a fixed position in front of a driver's seat and a passenger seat (neither is shown) in a passenger compartment, the various devices are mounted on the dashboard 60. ing.

A reinforcement bar 67 shown in FIG. 8 is provided in front of the dashboard 60 mounted at a fixed position. That is, in many vehicles such as passenger cars,
The rigidity of the vehicle body is improved by providing a reinforce bar 67 located in front of the lower part of the driver's seat and the passenger's seat and extending in the lateral direction. This reinforce bar 67
Is formed, for example, by bending a metal pipe into a required shape, and fixing members 68, 68 for fixing to both opposing inner wall surfaces of the vehicle body are provided at both ends. Further, a bracket 69 for supporting a handle column and the dashboard 6 are provided at appropriate portions of the reinforcement bar 67.
A bracket 70 and the like for fixing the audio device 27 to be attached to the secondary side are provided. Since the illustrated reinforcement bar 67 and the brackets 69 and 70 are both made of metal, they are generally connected by welding.

[0004]

Incidentally, the above-mentioned conventional dashboard 60 is quite large over substantially the entire width of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and has a certain amount of weight, such as the information display device 25 and the audio device. 27
In order to function as a mounting base for directly fixing and supporting the air conditioning operation device 26 and the like, it is necessary to increase the wall thickness and to provide a sufficient mechanical rigidity by disposing a reinforcing rib or the like at a predetermined position. For this reason, the weight of the dashboard 60 itself increases, and the work of attaching to and removing from the vehicle body requires two people. In maintenance of the air conditioning equipment main body and the microcomputer for controlling the engine disposed inside and behind the dashboard 60 and various devices attached to the information display device 25 and the like, the above devices are detached. If not, the dashboard 60 cannot be removed from the vehicle body, and the removal and mounting operations are extremely troublesome, and it has been pointed out that a lot of time is required.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been newly proposed in order to preferably solve the problems inherent in the prior art described above, and an information display device and an audio display are provided on a reinforcement bar located in front of a driver's seat of a vehicle. Equipment such as equipment is directly attached in advance, the reinforce bar is covered, and the equipment is configured to be detachably attached to the vehicle body alone with the equipment facing a predetermined position, thereby improving the convenience of maintenance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fascia for a vehicle which facilitates a vehicle interior work.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and appropriately achieve the intended purpose, the present invention is directed to a reinforcement bar disposed in front of lower portions of a driver's seat and a passenger seat and extending laterally. In a vehicle equipped with, various devices that require monitoring and operation by a driver in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat are directly attached to the reinforce bar, and the front of the driver's seat and the passenger's seat can be completely and detachably attached by facia. And the devices are configured to face the plurality of openings formed at appropriate places in the fascia.

[0007]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fascia for a vehicle according to the present invention. It should be noted that the existing equipment,
The same reference numerals are given to the same devices and members as the members.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a vehicle fascia according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The fascia 10 of the embodiment is a vehicle body (not shown) in front of a passenger compartment. While completely covering the reinforce bar 30 to extend in the lateral direction and improve the rigidity of the vehicle body,
Information display device 25 attached to the reinforce bar 30
The air conditioner 26 and the audio device 27 are mounted and fixed to the vehicle body with the devices facing the openings 11, 12, and 13 (see FIG. 1). For convenience of explanation, the left side in FIG. 4 is referred to as “left side” of the fascia 10 and the right side is referred to as “right side” of the fascia 10, and the front side (the side facing the rear of the passenger compartment) of FIG.
0 is the “front side”, and the back windshield side is the “rear side”.

First, a reinforce bar according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. The reinforcement bar 30 includes a main body 31 that functions to improve the rigidity of the vehicle body, and an installation base 32 that is formed in an outer ring at the center of the main body 31 and functions as an installation section for the various devices 25, 26, 27, and the like. Are tightly fixed. The main body 31 is, for example, a cylindrical pipe having a required diameter made of a metal such as steel. The front end of a driver's seat and a front passenger's seat in a passenger compartment have opposite ends 31a, 31a is fixed substantially horizontally with the fixed portion 31a, so that the rigidity in the lateral direction of the vehicle body is particularly improved. As for the shape of the main body 31, in addition to the linear form illustrated in FIG. 3, a form that is appropriately bent at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction in accordance with the vehicle body shape is also implemented. Also, in addition to the perfect circular shape of the embodiment, an elliptical shape, a different shape or the like may be suitably implemented.

The installation base 32 is made of a synthetic resin made of, for example, ABS or nylon or polypropylene containing glass fiber. The main body 31 is set at a predetermined position of a molding die, and injection molding is performed. By performing what is called “outsert molding”, the main body 31 is integrally molded in a state of being tightly fixed to the outer peripheral surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 3, the installation base 32 includes a cylindrical base portion 33 that is formed in an outer ring in close contact with the main body 31, and extends from the outer peripheral surface of the base portion 33 to the passenger compartment side to be used for a handle. A first bracket 34 for supporting a column (not shown) and the information display device 25, and an air conditioning operation device 26 extending from the outer peripheral surface of the base portion 33 to the passenger compartment side.
Bracket 35 for fixing and supporting the audio equipment 27 and the like, a third bracket 36 for supporting the airbag 28 and a fourth bracket for fixing the installation base 32 itself to the vehicle body.
It is composed of a bracket 37 and the like. Further, a plurality of ribs 38 are provided at corners of the main body 31 and the first and second support portions 34 and 35, and the various devices 25, 26, and 2 are provided.
7 is provided with sufficient mechanical rigidity. Above the reinforce bar 30, a plurality of air outlets (openings) 41, 42, 4
The air duct 40 forming 3,44 is installed in a state of being connected to an air conditioning unit (not shown).

The second bracket 35 of the installation base 32 is opened forward and upward between the left and right side walls 46, 46 to accommodate the air-conditioning operation device 26.
An accommodating portion 47, and the audio device 2 or the like 2
The second housing portion 48 in which the housing 7 is housed is defined in two upper and lower stages. At the left and right side edges of the first housing portion 47 and the second housing portion 48, fixing holes 49 for fixing screws to be screwed from the air conditioning operation device 26 and the audio device 27 are formed. The space below the second storage section 48 is an installation section 52 for an ashtray 50 and a cigar lighter 51. In the second bracket 35 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the air-conditioning operation device 26 and the audio device 27 are housed and set in the housings 47 and 48 from the front side of the second bracket 35. , Each equipment 26, 27
The operation panels 26a and 27a are fixedly held in a state of being exposed to the outside (see FIG. 1).

The fascia 10 of the present embodiment is formed by injection molding or blow molding of an olefin resin material such as polypropylene (PP) over substantially the entire width of the passenger compartment as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. It is integrally molded to the shape and size as shown. In this embodiment, as described above,
The information display device 25, the air-conditioning operation device 26, the audio device 27, the airbag 28, the air duct 40, and the like having a certain weight are attached to the installation base 32 of the reinforcement bar 30 installed on the vehicle body. Therefore, the fascia 10 functions as a mere interior member for covering the reinforce bar 30 and an in-vehicle device (not shown) such as an air conditioning unit disposed in front of the passenger compartment. In addition, Fascia 1
A surface material molded from, for example, an olefin-based resin material is adhered to the surface of
0 is achieved.

The fascia 10 has a display panel 2 of the information display device 25 attached to a first bracket 34 of the installation base 32 when the fascia 10 is mounted on a vehicle body in front of a passenger compartment.
5a, the opening 12 matching the operation panel 26a of the air-conditioning operation device 26 set in the first housing portion 47 of the second bracket 35, and the second housing portion of the second bracket 35 The opening 13 is formed so as to match the operation panel 27a of the audio device 27 housed and set in 48. Also, on the upper left side of Facia 10,
An opening 14 is formed to match the airbag 28 attached to the third bracket 36 of the installation base 32. A lid plate 15 for covering the opening 14 is mounted on the upper surface of the opening 14. Can be Further, an opening setting portion 16 defined in the lower left portion (passenger seat side) of the front surface of the fascia 10 is provided.
In addition, a glove box 17 having a storage space 17a for booths is provided so as to be openable and closable, and a lower cover 19 is attached to an opening installation part 18 on the lower right side (driver's seat side) (see FIG. 5).

An elongated first air outlet (opening) 20 is formed on the upper surface of the fascia 10 so that the first air outlet (opening) 41 of the air duct 40 is aligned. The second air outlet (opening) 42 of the air duct 40 and the third
A second air blowout portion (opening) 21 and a third air blowout portion (opening) 22 with which the air blowout openings (openings) 43 are aligned are provided. Fourth air outlet where the fourth air outlet (opening) 44 is aligned
(Opening) 23 is provided. That is, since the air duct 40 is fixed to the upper part of the reinforce bar 30 in a state where the air inlet (not shown) is connected to the air conditioning unit, the temperature-controlled air sent from the air conditioning unit is
The air is blown into the passenger compartment through the air blowing portions 20, 21, 22, and 23. The second air blowing section 2
1, the third air blowing part 22 and the fourth air blowing part 23
It is a unit member that is separately assembled and has a wind direction control plate and the like, and is attached to a predetermined position of the fascia 10 at an appropriate time.

As described above, the fascia 10 of the present embodiment includes the glove box 17, the lower cover 19, and the cover plate 1.
5 and only the air outlets 21, 22, 23, etc., are merely attached or arranged at predetermined positions. That is,
The information display device 25, the air conditioning operation device 26, the audio device 27, the airbag 28, etc., which are relatively heavy,
As described above, since these devices are not configured to be directly attached or fixed to the fascia 10, these devices 2
No weight of 5,26,27,28 is added to the fascia 10. For this reason, in the fascia 10 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide mechanical rigidity sufficient to support the above-mentioned devices 25, 26, 27, and 28. It is only necessary to have a certain degree of rigidity, and accordingly, it can be manufactured lightweight. In molding the fascia 10, for example, a predetermined amount of talc or the like is mixed in the olefin resin material,
If a resin containing glass fiber is applied to the back surface after molding to form a multilayer structure, the fascia 10 can be further improved in rigidity, thinned, and lightened.

[0016]

Next, the operation of the vehicle fascia according to the present embodiment having the above-described structure will be described.

The reinforce bar 30 is mounted at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 31 by performing outsert molding with the separately molded main body 31 set in a molding die for the installation base 32. The table 32 is integrally molded in a state of being tightly fixed. The reinforce bar 30 formed in this manner is provided on both inner walls facing the vehicle body in front of the driver's seat and the passenger's seat in the passenger compartment.
1a and 31a are fixed and installed substantially horizontally.

Various devices are attached and fixed to the reinforce bar 30 attached to the vehicle body. That is, the handle column and the information display device 25 are attached to the first bracket 34 of the installation base 32, and the air-conditioning operation device 26 is attached and set to the first accommodating portion 47 of the second bracket 35, and the second bracket 35 second storage section 48
The audio equipment 27 is attached and set. Further, the airbag 28 is fixed to the third bracket 36, and the installation base 32 itself is fixed to the vehicle body via the fourth bracket 37.
Further, an air duct 40 is provided above the reinforce bar 30.

The fascia 10 is integrally formed from an olefin resin material as described above. Then, the storage space 17a for the booth
The glove box 17 that defines
The lower cover 19 is attached to the opening setting part 18 on the lower right side. In addition, a second air blowing portion 42 is attached to the center of the front surface,
The third air outlets 43 are attached to the left and right ends of the front surface, and the fourth air outlets 44 are attached to the left and right ends of the upper surface.
As shown in FIG. 5, the glove box 17 and the lower cover 19 may be attached to the fascia 10 after the fascia 10 is attached to the vehicle body.

Then, the fascia 10 of this embodiment, to which the above-described members are attached and set, is attached and fixed to a predetermined position in the vehicle body in front of the passenger compartment by using a fixing member such as a screw.
Thus, the information display device 25 is aligned with the opening 11 of the fascia 10, the air-conditioning operation device 26 and the audio device 27 are aligned with the openings 12 and 13, and the airbag 28 is aligned with the opening 14. Reach. Furthermore, the first air outlet 41 of the air duct 40 is aligned and connected to the first air outlet 20 formed on the fascia 10, and the second air outlet 21 and the third
The second air outlet 42, the third air outlet 43, and the fourth air outlet 44 of the air duct 40 are connected to the air outlet 22 and the fourth air outlet 23, respectively.

As described above, the vehicle fascia according to the present embodiment can be manufactured to be lighter in weight than the conventional dashboard, and therefore, it is possible for one worker to attach and fix the vehicle to the vehicle body in front of the passenger compartment. It becomes possible. Further, even when it is necessary to remove the fascia 10 from the vehicle body for maintenance such as repair or replacement of the in-vehicle device covered by the fascia 10, the worker can perform the removal work by one worker. Moreover, since the information display device 25, the air-conditioning operation device 26, and the audio device 27 are mounted on the reinforcement bar 30 side, these devices 25,
There is no need to remove 26, 27 at all,
Can be easily and quickly performed.

[0022]

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a modified example of the vehicle fascia according to the present invention. The fascia 55 according to this modified example has a main body 9 having an opening 56 formed in the upper surface area. And an upper lid 57 detachably attached to the opening 56. The upper cover 57 has an opening 11 aligned with the information display device 25, an opening 14 aligned with the airbag 28, and a first air outlet 41 aligned with the first air outlet 41 of the air duct 40. An air blowing part 20 and the like are formed. When mounting the vehicle body in front of the passenger compartment, the main body 9 is first mounted and fixed to the vehicle body, and then the upper cover 57 is mounted and fixed to the main body 9. In addition, when performing maintenance such as repair or replacement of the in-vehicle device covered by the fascia 55, by removing only the upper cover 57 from the main body 9, each in-vehicle device is exposed from the opening 56, and maintenance work is performed. Can be made easier and faster.

In the above embodiment, the main body 3 made of steel is used.
1 and the reinforce bar 30 composed of the installation base 32 made of synthetic resin.
A conventional reinforce bar in which 35, 36, and 37 are made of steel and are welded to the main body 31 can also be suitably implemented. Further, the main body 31 and the installation base 32 may be integrally formed of engineer plastic.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, an information display device that requires monitoring and operation by a driver in a driver's seat and a passenger seat, an audio device and an air-conditioning operation device that require operation by a passenger, and the like. Are mounted directly on a laterally extending reinforce bar disposed in front of the lower part of the driver's seat and the passenger seat. As a result, the vehicle fascia according to the present invention can be attached to and detached from the vehicle body irrespective of the attachment and detachment of the various devices, and has an extremely advantageous advantage that attachment and detachment can be performed easily and quickly. Moreover, since the weight of the above-mentioned components is not added to the vehicle fascia at all, it is sufficient to maintain the required initial shape and to provide the rigidity required for the interior material of the vehicle, thereby reducing the thickness and weight. Accordingly, it is possible to perform the attaching / detaching work on the vehicle body by one worker, and it is possible to achieve effects such as simplification and rationalization of the attaching / detaching work.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a vehicle fascia according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention attached to a vehicle body in front of a passenger compartment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which various devices are attached to a reinforce bar of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a reinforce bar of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle fascia of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which various accessory parts are attached to the vehicle fascia of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a vehicle fascia according to a modified example of the present invention in an exploded state.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an attachment form of various devices to a conventional dashboard and reinforce bar.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional reinforcement bar.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10,55 Fascia 11 Opening 12 Opening 13 Opening 20 First air blowing part (Opening) 21 Second air blowing part (Opening) 22 Third air blowing part (Opening) 23 Fourth air blowing part (Opening) 25 Information display device (device) 26 Air conditioning operation device (device) 27 Audio device (device) 30 Reinforce bar 34 First bracket 35 Second bracket 40 Air duct 41 First air outlet (opening) 42 Second air outlet ( (Opening) 43 Third air outlet (opening) 44 Fourth air outlet (opening)

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle having a reinforce bar (30) disposed in front of a lower portion of a driver's seat and a passenger seat and extending in a lateral direction, which requires monitoring and operation by a passenger in the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. Devices (25, 26, 27) are directly attached to the reinforce bar (30), and the front of the driver's seat and the front passenger seat are completely and removably covered with a fascia (10, 55).
A facia for a vehicle, characterized in that the equipment (25, 26, 27) is made to face a plurality of openings (11, 12, 13) opened at appropriate places in (10, 55). 2. An individual bracket (34, 35) is provided at a plurality of required locations on the reinforce bar (30),
2. The fascia for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each corresponding device (25, 26, 27) is attached to each bracket (34, 35). 3. The bracket (34, 35) is formed of a synthetic resin material, and the bracket (3
The fascia for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the reinforce bar (4, 35) is attached to the reinforce bar (30). 4. The bracket (34, 35) and the reinforce bar (30) are made of a metal material.
The fascia for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the reinforce bar (4, 35) is attached to the reinforce bar (30) by welding. 5. The fascia according to claim 1, wherein said fascia retains a required initial shape given thereto and has a rigidity required for a vehicle interior material. The fascia for a vehicle as described. 6. A duct (40) communicating with an air conditioner is connected to the reinforce bar (30), and an opening (41, 42, 43, 44) for discharging temperature-controlled air in the duct (40) is provided. The fascia for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fascia is connected to an opening (20, 21, 22, 23) of the fascia (10, 55). 7. A device requiring monitoring by the passenger
(25) is an information display device such as a vehicle speed detection meter or a fuel detection meter as an example, and an information display section of the information display device (25) is provided at an opening (11) of the facia (10, 55). 2. The fascia for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fascia faces. 8. A device requiring operation by the passenger
(26, 27) are air-conditioning operating devices and audio devices as an example, and the operation unit of these devices (25, 26) faces the opening (12, 13) of the fascia (10, 55). The fascia for a vehicle according to claim 1.