JP6209004B2 - Air conditioning operating device for vehicles. - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning operation device for a vehicle in which safety measures are taken against an impact caused by a vehicle collision or the like.

Since the passenger may hit the air conditioning operation device provided on the instrument panel due to a vehicle collision, etc., the human body may be injured. It is prescribed.
Therefore, in the case of a structure in which the operation knob protrudes beyond a specified value, there is one configured as follows in order to satisfy the legal regulations.

That is, when an impact force greater than the specified value is applied to the operation knob, the operation knob is moved backward to relieve the impact force, and the connection part of the control unit of the air conditioner is broken according to the movement of the operation knob. A configuration has been proposed in which the control unit is detached rearward from the instrument panel.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-216983

As described above, a configuration such as providing a breakage portion on the instrument panel is required even when a safety measure is taken to allow a part of the operation knob provided in the air conditioning operation device to protrude beyond the specified value. Therefore, the configuration of the instrument panel had to be changed.
Further, in order to move the entire control unit backward (toward the front of the vehicle) and drop it, it is necessary to provide a space for the drop on the vehicle side.

  As a result, in order to take safety measures against the impact of the vehicle, it is not possible to respond by simply changing the air conditioning operation device, and it is necessary to change the structure corresponding to the air conditioning operation device for each vehicle type also on the vehicle side. Naruame, the structure of means for this safety measure became large, which was not preferable for practical use.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention can be configured simply by changing the structure of the air-conditioning operation device as a safety measure for preventing injuries that may occur when an occupant hits the air-conditioning operation device due to the impact of the vehicle. It aims at providing the air-conditioning operation device for vehicles.

  In order to achieve the above object, as the first invention in the present invention, an operation knob for manually operating the input unit of the control unit of the air conditioner and a control panel for disposing the operation knob are provided in the instrument panel. In the vehicle air conditioning operation device, the operation knob is formed by a rotation shaft connected to the input portion and an operation portion provided integrally with the rotation shaft, and the control panel is disposed on the front side. A base is provided, and the base is integrally formed with a mounting hole in which the input portion can be inserted from the front side toward the control panel, and the rear end portion of the input portion is a locking claw portion. And a locking arm portion that holds the input portion attached thereto, and a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob due to an impact caused by a vehicle collision or the like. Occasionally, the load to such rear side to the input unit from the operation knob, proposes a vehicular air conditioning operating device being characterized in that a configuration in which elastic deformation in a direction in which engagement of the input section is disengaged.

  As a second invention, in the vehicle air conditioning operation device according to the first invention described above, the locking arm portion is formed as an elastic member integrally extending from the base along the central axis of the mounting hole. An air conditioning operation for a vehicle characterized in that the arm portion between the extending base end portion of the base portion and the locking claw portion at the distal end portion is elastically deformed and the locking claw portion is detached from the input portion. Propose the device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above-described vehicle air conditioning operation device according to the first or second aspect, a predetermined width is provided between the operation portion of the operation knob and the control panel. When a load of a predetermined value or more is applied, the operation knob moves so as to contact the control panel, so that the locking claw portion of the locking arm portion is disengaged from the input portion. The vehicle air-conditioning operation device is proposed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle air conditioning operation device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, a groove portion into which the operation portion partially enters is formed at a control panel portion facing the operation portion of the operation knob. In addition, a predetermined interval is provided between the bottom surface of the groove portion and the operation portion, and when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob, the operation portion moves so as to contact the bottom surface of the groove portion. The vehicle air-conditioning operation device is characterized in that the locking claw portion of the locking arm portion is disengaged from the input portion.

The vehicle air conditioning operation device according to the first aspect of the invention is configured such that when the passenger's body part strongly hits the operation knob of the air conditioning operation device due to an impact such as a vehicle collision, the input portion of the control unit is pushed backward. Receive power.
Therefore, the force that tries to move over the locking claw portion of the locking arm portion acts on the rear end portion of the input portion, so that the locking arm portion is elastically deformed, and the locking claw portion becomes the input portion. Detach from the rear edge.
As a result, when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob, the input portion of the control unit moves backward together with the operation knob, so that the impact force due to the contact of the human body is alleviated.

  According to the vehicle air conditioning operation device of the first aspect of the present invention, it is simple that the locking arm portion provided with the locking claw portion for locking the rear end portion of the input portion of the control unit is simply formed integrally with the base. According to the configuration, it is possible to provide a safety measure against an occupant injury that may occur in the event of a vehicle collision.

The vehicle air-conditioning operation device of the second invention is characterized by the configuration of the locking arm portion described above.
That is, the above-described locking arm portion is integrally extended from the base along the central axis of the base mounting hole, and the arm between the extending base end portion of the base portion and the locking claw portion of the distal end portion. Due to the elastic deformation of the part, the engaging claw part is disengaged from the input part.

The vehicle air conditioning operation device according to the third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that an interval of a predetermined width is provided between the operation knob and the control panel.
That is, when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob, the operation knob moves so as to contact the control panel, and the load applied to the operation knob is absorbed.
As described above, the locking claw portion is detached from the rear end portion of the input portion with the movement of the operation knob.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle air-conditioning operation device, wherein a groove portion into which the operation portion partially enters is formed at a control panel portion facing the operation portion of the operation knob, and between the bottom surface of the groove portion and the operation portion. It is characterized in that a predetermined interval is provided.
That is, when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob, the operation portion moves so as to contact the bottom surface of the groove portion, thereby absorbing the load applied to the operation knob.
As described above, the locking claw portion is detached from the rear end portion of the input portion with the movement of the operation knob.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the air-conditioning operation apparatus for vehicles which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the base of the said air-conditioning operation apparatus, and the blower motor switch as an input part of a control unit. It is the perspective view which looked at the base of the said air-conditioning operation apparatus from the back side. It is the same longitudinal cross-sectional view as FIG. 1 which showed the load absorption operation | movement when the load more than predetermined value was added to the operation knob of the said air-conditioning operation apparatus. It is the fragmentary sectional view which showed the modification of the latching arm part with which the said vehicle air-conditioning operation apparatus was equipped. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 1 which shows other embodiment.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vehicle air-conditioning operation device embodying the present invention.
In this vehicle air-conditioning operation device, in addition to the air volume adjustment operation knob 11, an air flow direction adjustment knob, a temperature adjustment operation knob, and the like are arranged on the control panel 12. The adjustment operation knob 11 and the blower motor switch 13 operated by the operation knob 11 will be described.
In addition, the control panel 12 is attached to the front side (vehicle compartment side) of the base 14 by locking the locking portions provided at the upper and lower portions to the base 14.

The operation knob 11 is formed by a container-like operation portion 11 a and a rotating shaft 11 b, and the rotating shaft 11 b is connected to the drive shaft 13 a of the blower motor switch 13.
The operation knob 11 has a configuration in which the open end 11c of the operation portion 11a enters the ring groove 12a formed in the control panel 12, and normally maintains a distance D between the open end 11c and the bottom surface of the ring groove 12a. It is as.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the blower motor switch 13 is inserted and attached to a mounting hole 15 formed in the rising surface 14 a of the base 14 facing the control panel 12.
Specifically, the mounting hole 15 is provided with guide holes 15 a extending vertically and horizontally, and a guide plate 13 c provided on the shaft cylinder portion 13 b of the blower motor switch 13 is inserted into the guide hole 15 a of the mounting hole 15. Thus, the blower motor switch 13 is inserted into the mounting hole 15 from the rear side (vehicle front side) of the standing surface 14a of the base 14 and attached.

Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.3, it forms integrally with the base 14 in the part of the standing surface 14a of the base 14 used as the downward position of the attachment hole 15, and is a back side (vehicle front side). A plate-like locking arm portion 16 extending toward is provided.
On the distal end side of the locking arm portion 16, a locking claw portion 16b in which a locking portion 16a is formed at a right angle is provided.
Since the above-described locking arm portion 16 is integrally formed with the base 14 made of a synthetic resin material, it has an elastic plate shape, and a 16c between the extended base portion of the base 14 and the locking claw portion 16b. Is elastically deformed.

The locking arm portion 16 formed as described above locks the rear end portion 13d of the blower motor switch 13 inserted into the mounting hole 15 by the locking claw portion 16b, and maintains the mounting state of the blower motor switch 13. To do.
2 and 3, the mounting holes 17 and 18 provided on the left and right sides of the mounting hole 15 are a gear shaft connected to a wind direction adjusting operation knob (not shown) and a gear connected to a temperature adjusting operation knob. The shafts can be inserted, and the tip portions of the gear shafts are supported by the bearing portions 19 and 20.

  The above-described vehicle air-conditioning operation device is arranged on the instrument panel. When the vehicle collides, the human body portion of the occupant collides with the operation knob 11 with a strong impact force (a load greater than a specified value). In such a case, the operation portion 11a of the operation knob 11 is pushed toward the bottom surface of the ring groove 12a according to the distance D.

On the other hand, when an impact force of a specified value or more is applied to the operation knob 11, a strong pushing force toward the rear side (vehicle front side) acts on the blower motor switch 13 connected by the rotary shaft 11b. The locking of the portion 16 by the locking claw portion 16 b is released from the rear end portion 13 d of the blower motor switch 13.

Therefore, the blower motor switch 13 moves rearward together with the operation knob 11 as shown in FIG.
As can be seen from the above, even if the human body part of the occupant hits the operation knob 11 with a strong impact force, the operation knob 11 moves according to the distance D, so that the impact force applied to the human body part is alleviated and the injury to the occupant is caused. It can be prevented in advance.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a modified example of the locking arm portion 16 described above.
The locking arm portion 21 has a locking claw portion 21b which is a mountain-shaped locking portion 21a, but the engagement / disengagement operation is the same as that of the locking arm portion 16 described above.

FIG. 6 shows a vehicle air-conditioning operation device according to another embodiment.
The present embodiment is characterized in that a ring-shaped notch groove 12b is formed in a portion of the control panel 12 that is in the circumferential direction of the operation knob 11.
In this embodiment, when an impact of a specified value or more is applied to the operation knob 11, this impact is transmitted to the control panel 12, and the notch groove 12b of the control panel 12 is broken and the operation knob 11 is pushed.
As a result, the blower motor switch 13 moves to the rear side (vehicle front side), so that the locking claw portion 16b of the locking arm portion 16 is detached from the rear end portion 13d.
In addition, although it is set as the same structure as above-described embodiment, the distance D of the operation part 11a of the operation knob 11 and the bottom face of the ring groove 12a of the said embodiment does not need to provide.

As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, the latching arm parts 16 and 21 are as follows.
It may be configured separately from the base and fixed to the base 14 later.

  The present invention can be applied to an operation device for an air conditioner mounted on a vehicle.

11 Operation knob 11a Operation part 11b Rotating shaft 11c Open end 12 Control panel 12a Ring groove 13 Blower motor switch 13d Rear end part 14 Base 15 Mounting hole 16 Locking arm part 16b Locking claw part

Claims (4)

In the vehicle air conditioning operation device in which an operation knob for manually operating the input unit of the control unit of the air conditioner and a control panel for arranging the operation knob are provided on the instrument panel,
The operation knob is formed by a rotation shaft connected to the input portion and an operation portion provided integrally with the rotation shaft,
Furthermore, a base that is locked so that the control panel is arranged on the front side is provided,
The base is integrally formed with a mounting hole through which the input portion can be inserted from the front side toward the control panel, and the rear end portion of the input portion is locked by a locking claw portion. A locking arm for holding the input unit attached,
The locking arm portion is engaged with the input portion by a rearward load applied from the operation knob to the input portion when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob due to an impact caused by a vehicle collision or the like. Elastically deformed in the direction that the stop is released ,
The restriction of movement of the input unit to the rear side is released, and the input unit moves to the rear side together with the operation knob .
In the vehicle air conditioning operation device according to claim 1,
The locking arm portion is formed as an elastic member integrally extending from the base along the central axis of the mounting hole, and is formed between the extending base end portion of the base and the locking claw portion at the distal end portion. An air conditioning operation device for a vehicle, wherein the arm portion is elastically deformed and the engaging claw portion is disengaged from the input portion. In the vehicle air conditioning operation device according to claim 1 or 2,
An interval of a predetermined width is provided between the operation portion of the operation knob and the control panel, and the operation knob moves so as to contact the control panel when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob. Thus, the vehicular air conditioning operation device is characterized in that the locking claw portion of the locking arm portion is disengaged from the input portion. In the vehicle air conditioning operation device according to claim 1 or 2,
In the control panel portion where the operation portion of the operation knob faces, a groove portion into which the operation portion partially enters is provided, and a predetermined interval is provided between the bottom surface of the groove portion and the operation portion,
A configuration in which the locking claw portion of the locking arm portion is disengaged from the input portion by moving the operation portion so as to contact the bottom surface of the groove when a load of a predetermined value or more is applied to the operation knob. A vehicle air-conditioning operation device characterized by that.

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