JP3659866B2 - Molded ceiling assembly - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a molded ceiling assembly in which accessories such as an assist grip are previously attached to a molded ceiling for a vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 8 shows a conventional example of a retractable assist grip attachment structure as an accessory attached to a molded ceiling of a passenger car or the like. A flexible core material 52 made of spring steel or the like is exposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the grip body 51 serving as a grip portion. The exposed portion of the core member 52 is formed with a mounting base 53 and a long hole 54 which are bent in a substantially U shape. The mounting base 53 is formed by a weld nut 59 and a screw 60 to form a base 55 and a collar. Along with 56 and a washer 57, the vehicle body panel 58 is fastened together. The base 55 is formed with a protrusion 62 that engages with a molded ceiling 61 that is an interior material. The end cap 63 is inserted in the core 54 in advance, and has a function of concealing the base 55, the screw 60, and the like by being fitted and fixed to the base 55 after the screw 60 is tightened. Have.
[0003]
A stroke for storing and withdrawing the grip body 51 is ensured by a relative stroke between the collar 56 and the elongated hole 54, while a gripping position between the screw 60 and the base 55 is used to place the grip body 51 in the retracted position and the withdrawing position. (Similar techniques are described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-39954).
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a conventional mounting structure, accessories such as assist grips are individually assembled in the final assembly line to the vehicle body panel 58, so that there are many components and manufacturing man-hours and the cost increases. There is.
[0005]
In order to solve such problems, a so-called modularization technique in which an assembly in which various components are pre-assembled and integrated is assembled on the vehicle body side is applied to accessories such as a molded ceiling and an assist grip. Has been proposed (similar techniques are described in US Pat. No. 5,269,060). In this case, the number of parts and man-hours in the assembly line to the vehicle body panel can be greatly reduced, and the cost can be greatly reduced.
[0006]
By the way, in recent years, a curtain air bag (not shown) or the like is partly required to be interposed between the molded ceiling and the vehicle body panel. If a ceiling assembly that is modularized as described above is assembled to a vehicle body panel to which such a curtain airbag is attached in advance, bolts or the like for assembling the accessory to the vehicle body panel interfere with the curtain airbag. There is a fear, and further improvement is desired. The present invention has been made in view of these problems.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention mainly provides a molded ceiling assembly in which accessories are attached in advance to a molded ceiling for a vehicle in order to reduce the number of parts, the number of work steps, and the manufacturing cost in the assembly process to the body panel. It is assumed.
[0008]
The invention according to claim 1, the mounting base portion that is provided on the accessory, provided at a tip of the mounting base, the passenger compartment when that assembly from the vehicle interior to the vehicle body panel across the formed ceiling the accessory A clip that fits into the vehicle body panel from the inside, the mounting base slidably engages, a guide part that is formed through the molded ceiling along the sliding direction, and the mounting base with respect to the guide part. And a temporary holding means for temporarily holding the clip at an offset position offset toward the vehicle interior side along the sliding direction from the assembly position where the clip is fitted to the vehicle body panel.
[0009]
With such a configuration, in the assembly process of assembling the accessory of the molded ceiling assembly to the vehicle body panel, first, the assembly is disposed at a position facing the vehicle body panel, and then the accessory is hit from the vehicle interior side by hitting the accessory. What is necessary is just to press to the panel side. Thereby, the attachment base part of an accessory slides to the vehicle body panel side along a guide part, and is assembled | attached to a vehicle body panel. More specifically, for example, a clip is provided at the tip of the mounting base, and this clip is configured to fit into the mounting hole of the vehicle body panel. In this case, the molded ceiling assembly including the accessory is assembled to the vehicle body panel simply by pressing the accessory to the vehicle body panel side, and the workability is extremely good.
[0010]
However, in an assembly in which accessories are modularized in this way, generally, the attachment base portion of the accessory that is assembled to the vehicle body panel, that is, a pointed hard portion such as a clip or a bolt, is exposed on the surface of the assembly. It becomes the form to do. Therefore, when the assembly is moved to a position facing the vehicle body panel in the assembly process, more specifically, the assembly is carried below the vehicle body panel from the rear window mounting opening at the rear of the vehicle, Next, when moving to the vehicle body panel side (upper side), the attachment base of the accessory may interfere with a member on the vehicle body panel side to reduce workability. In particular, if the mounting base interferes with the soft curtain airbag described above, the airbag may be damaged, which is very undesirable.
[0011]
In response to such a problem, according to the present invention, the accessory mounting base is temporarily held at an offset position that is offset in the direction away from the vehicle interior side, that is, the vehicle body panel, relative to the assembly position when the accessory is assembled to the vehicle body panel. In this way, the ceiling assembly can be carried to the vehicle interior and vehicle body panel side with the mounting base retracted to the vehicle interior side, and this mounting base interferes with members on the vehicle body panel side such as curtain airbags. It is possible to more reliably suppress the problem of performing.
[0012]
The temporary holding means preferably has a convex portion and a concave portion that are provided on the slide portion of the mounting base portion and the guide portion and engage with each other as in the invention according to claim 2. In this case, since the convex portion and the concave portion are engaged with each other at the temporary holding position, the accessory does not wobble with respect to the molded ceiling when the assembly is moved as described above, and the workability is further improved. To do.
[0013]
Examples of the accessory include a retractable assist grip that can take at least a retracted posture and a drawer posture, and a fixed assist grip that does not have such a posture changing function, a sun visor, a room lamp, and the like.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
In the molded ceiling assembly according to the present invention, since accessories such as an assist grip are attached to the molded ceiling in advance, the number of parts and work man-hours in the assembly process to the vehicle body panel can be remarkably reduced, and the cost can be reduced. it can.
[0015]
And since the attachment base of the accessory is temporarily held at an offset position that is offset toward the vehicle interior side, when the ceiling assembly is moved to a position facing the vehicle body panel in the assembly process, the accessory is attached. Contact and interference between the base (clip or the like) and the vehicle body panel side member (curtain airbag or the like) can be more reliably prevented. As a result, workability is improved and damage to the curtain airbag or the like can be avoided more reliably.
[0016]
Moreover, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the accessory and shaping | molding ceiling which comprise a shaping | molding ceiling assembly do not wobble each other, The workability | operativity improves and handling becomes easy.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 to 7 show an embodiment in which a molded ceiling assembly M according to the present invention is applied to a passenger car. As shown in FIG. 7, vehicle accessories such as an assist grip 1 and a room lamp L are attached to a molded ceiling 2 as an interior material of a passenger car.
[0018]
Here, in this embodiment, the assist grip 1 is attached to the molded ceiling 2 in advance, and the assembly M (assist grip 1) integrated in this manner is used in the final assembly process to the vehicle body panel. Modular technology to be assembled on the body panel side is adopted. For this reason, the number of parts and the number of work steps can be greatly reduced, and the cost can be greatly reduced.
[0019]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle body panel 3 to which the assembly M is attached has a closed cross-sectional structure by an inner panel 3a, an outer panel 3b, a reinforcing inner rain hose 3c, and the like that are joined to each other. A known weather strip 3f is attached to 3d.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 5, the assist grip 1 is a grip body 1 a formed in a substantially flat arch shape with a predetermined resin material or the like so as to secure a necessary space between the formed ceiling 2 and the grip operation. And a core material 5 embedded in the grip body 1a and formed into a thin plate shape with flexible spring steel or the like.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, attachment bases 40 that are assembled to the vehicle body panel 3 with the molded ceiling 2 interposed therebetween are provided at both ends of the assist grip 1. In FIGS. 1 and 2 and the like, only one mounting base 40 is illustrated, but it is natural that the opposite side has a similar configuration with a symmetrical shape.
[0022]
The mounting base 40 is provided with a substantially box-shaped slide block 41 formed of synthetic resin or the like. The bottom wall (on the opposite side of the cover 4) of the slide block 41 and the terminal portion of the assist grip 1 are provided. The flat mounting seat 11 is fastened and fixed together by mounting bolts 8 and spring clips 6 that pass through the bolt holes of both 41 and 11.
[0023]
The spring clip 6 is fixed to the back side of the bottom wall portion of the slide block 41. As shown in FIG. 6, a nut portion 16 to which the mounting bolt 8 is screwed is formed. The sandwiching pieces 14 and 15 that are respectively fitted to the front and back surfaces of the panel 3 (inner panel 3a) are formed in steps.
[0024]
Further, a cover (end cap) 4 made of synthetic resin or the like is detachably attached to the opening peripheral edge of the slide block 41, and the cover 4 covers the slide block 41 and the like after the vehicle body is assembled. The cover 4 is inserted in advance into the assist grip 1 through the insertion hole 4a shown in FIG. 4, and is attached to the slide block 41 after the assist grip 1 and the slide block 41 are fastened together as described above.
[0025]
On the other hand, the molded ceiling 2 as an interior member is integrated with a core base 31 that is injection-molded with a material such as polypropylene (PP), and the surface of the core base 31 on the vehicle interior side by bonding or the like. The skin portion 32 is roughly constituted. The skin portion 32 forms the general surface 2a of the molded ceiling 2 exposed to the vehicle interior side, and is formed of, for example, cloth, tricot, thermosetting resin, or the like. Note that a predetermined gap D is set between the molded ceiling 2 and the vehicle body panel 3 in order to accommodate a curtain airbag 9 or the like attached in advance to the vehicle body panel 3 side.
[0026]
The core base 31 is integrally formed with a guide portion 42 through which the slide block 41 of the mounting base 40 is slidably engaged. The guide portion 42 is extended from the core base 31 along the sliding direction to the vehicle body panel side, that is, the vehicle exterior side. Further, the skin portion 32 is formed with a mounting hole 23 facing the opening on the vehicle interior side of the guide portion 42.
[0027]
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the AA cross section of FIG. On the outer wall surface of the slide block 41, three slide grooves 43 extending in the slide direction are formed. On the other hand, on the inner wall surface of the guide portion 42 facing and slidably contacting the outer wall surface of the slide block 41, three slide protrusions 44 that are also extended in the sliding direction are formed at three locations. The slide groove 43 and the slide projection 44 are slidably fitted to each other, so that the slide block 41 slides satisfactorily without rattling with respect to the guide portion 42.
[0028]
Of the opposing surfaces (sliding portions) of the slide groove 43 and the slide protrusion 44, a convex portion 45 and a concave portion 46 that are engaged with each other are formed on the opposing surface on the vehicle outer side. Here, in the state of the molded ceiling assembly M alone before being attached to the vehicle body panel 3, the convex portions 45 and the concave portions 46 are engaged with each other. In this state, the slide block 41 of the attachment base 40 is guided by the guide. The part 42 is temporarily held at an offset position that is offset toward the vehicle interior side along the sliding direction with respect to the assembly position in the state of being assembled to the vehicle body panel 3 (the state indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 1).
[0029]
In the assembling process of assembling such an assembly M (assist grip 1) to the vehicle body panel 3, first, the assembly M is carried below the vehicle body panel 3 through a rear window opening (not shown) at the rear of the vehicle, for example. Then, as shown by an arrow F in FIG. 2, the mounting hole 17 of the vehicle body panel 3 and the spring clip 6 are disposed coaxially with respect to the upper vehicle body panel 3 (the solid line in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). A state indicated by a one-dot chain line). In this state, the cover 4 of the assist grip 1 temporarily held at the offset position may be pressed to the vehicle body panel 3 side (in the direction of arrow B) by applying a hit or the like. As a result, the mounting base 40 including the cover 4, the slide block 41 and the spring clip 6 slides toward the vehicle body panel 3 along the guide portion 42, and one clamping piece 15 of the spring clip 6 gets over the mounting hole 17. Thus, the sandwiching pieces 14 and 15 are fitted to the peripheral edge portion of the mounting hole 17 from both the front and back surfaces. Thus, the assist grip 1, including the spring clip 6 is secured to the vehicle body panel 3, formed ceiling 2 between the cover 4 and the vehicle body panel 3 of the assist grip 1 is stably clamped.
[0030]
Note that once the spring clip 6 is assembled to the vehicle body side, it remains in the vehicle body panel 3 even if the mounting bolt 8 is removed. Therefore, when the assist grip 1 is removed for inspection or replacement after assembly, the cover 4 may be removed from the slide block 41 and the mounting bolt 8 may be removed.
[0031]
In the present embodiment, the mounting base 40 is temporarily held at a position offset toward the vehicle interior side, that is, at a position retracted to the vehicle interior side from the assembly position, and therefore the arrow F in FIG. When the assembly M is moved to the vehicle body panel 3 side, the tip of the spring clip 6 is moved by a predetermined amount ΔD1 in a direction perpendicular to the assembly direction (direction of arrow F) from the assembly position. It becomes a shape separated from the curtain-type airbag 9. As a result, the problem that the tip of the spring clip 6 interferes with a member on the vehicle body panel 3 side such as the curtain type airbag 9 is reliably avoided, the mounting workability is improved, and the airbag 9 and the like are more damaged. It can be surely prevented.
[0032]
Further, since the convex portion 45 and the concave portion 46 are engaged with each other at the temporary holding position, for example, when the assembly M is moved, the assist grip 1 does not wobble, and the handleability is excellent. .
[0033]
The assist grip 1 has a retractable structure that approaches and separates from the molded ceiling 2 in this embodiment. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, bent portions 10 are formed at both ends of the assist grip 1 by bending the exposed core material 5 into a substantially Z shape. When the bent portion 10 is in a so-called free length state, the bent portion 10 is held in a retracted position relatively close to the molded ceiling 2, and the claw pieces 12 formed on the bent portion 10 are uneven portions (not shown) of the mounting base 40. By being fitted in, the vehicle is held in a predetermined drawing posture that protrudes toward the vehicle interior side. Thus, since the bent portion 10 for realizing the posture change of the assist grip 1 is configured by the core material 5 of the assist grip 1, the configuration is simplified, and the bent portion 10 is Since it is substantially accommodated in the gap D between the molded ceiling 2 and the vehicle body panel 3, it is advantageous in terms of layout.
[0034]
As described above, the present invention has been described based on the specific embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and includes various modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the guide portion 42 is integrally formed with the core base 31 constituting the molded ceiling 2 mainly for the purpose of reducing the number of parts. The structure which fixes a guide part to a shaping | molding ceiling may be sufficient.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a molded ceiling assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for moving the assembly to a position facing a vehicle body panel.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.
4 is a view corresponding to arrow B in FIG. 1 and showing the cover of the assembly alone.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of an assist grip of the assembly.
6A and 6B are views showing details of the spring clip of the assembly, in which FIG. 6A is a perspective view seen from the upper surface, and FIG. 6B is a perspective view seen from the lower surface.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the interior of an automobile to which the molded ceiling assembly according to the present embodiment is applied.
FIG. 8 is an exploded explanatory view showing an example of a conventional accessory mounting structure.
[Explanation of symbols]
M ... Ceiling assembly 1 ... Assist grip (accessory)
2 ... Molded ceiling 3 ... Body panel 4 ... Cover 6 ... Spring clip 8 ... Mounting bolt 9 ... Curtain type airbag 40 ... Mounting base 41 ... Slide block 42 ... Guide part 45 ... Convex part 46 ... Concave part

Claims (4)

A molded ceiling assembly in which accessories are mounted in advance on a molded ceiling for a vehicle,
A mounting base that is provided on the accessory,
Provided at the distal end of the mounting base, and a clip to fit to the vehicle body panel from the vehicle interior side when that assembly from the vehicle interior to the vehicle body panel across the formed ceiling the accessory,
The mounting base is slidably engaged, and a guide portion is formed through the molded ceiling along the sliding direction.
Temporary holding means for temporarily holding the mounting base portion at an offset position offset toward the vehicle interior side along the sliding direction from the assembly position where the clip is fitted to the vehicle body panel with respect to the guide portion. Molded ceiling assembly characterized by   2. The molded ceiling assembly according to claim 1, wherein the temporary holding means includes a convex portion and a concave portion that are provided on a slide portion of the attachment base portion and the guide portion and engage with each other.   The molded ceiling assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the accessory is a retractable assist grip capable of at least a retracted posture and a pulled-out posture. The clip has a clamping piece that fits on both the front and back sides of the vehicle body panel,
The molded ceiling assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising fixing means for removably fixing the clip to the mounting base.

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