JP7519951B2 - Vehicle interior parts - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to interior parts for vehicles.

Openings are formed in interior base materials such as floor carpets and roof trims of vehicles for various reasons, and various interior parts are attached to the openings depending on the purpose. For example, the vehicle identification number (VIN) for identifying the vehicle is engraved on the vehicle floor (floor panel) near the driver's seat inside the vehicle cabin, and an opening for checking the VIN is formed in the part of the floor carpet located above it. Since the VIN is checked only in limited situations, the opening is provided with a lid member that is normally closed and can be opened only when the VIN is to be checked.

Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle floor cover structure that includes a floor member (floor carpet) that has an opening above a VIN provided on a floor panel, a base member that is provided between the floor panel and the floor carpet and supports the floor carpet around the opening, and a cover member that includes a lid member that can open and close the opening in the floor carpet. The cover member has a frame member that is arranged in a frame shape along the periphery of the opening in the floor carpet, and the lid member is connected to the frame member by a hinge. This allows the VIN to be confirmed through the opening in the floor carpet when the lid member is opened.

JP 2012-250689 A

In the cover structure described in Patent Document 1, in order to attach the cover member to the opening in the floor carpet, it is necessary to fix the cover member and the base member via the floor carpet. Specifically, after inserting the boss portion of the cover member into the through-holes formed in the floor carpet and the base member, it is necessary to fasten a fastening member such as a screw to the boss portion to fix the cover member and the base member. At this time, since the through-holes formed in the floor carpet and the base member are relatively small, it takes time to align the boss portion and the through-hole, which causes a problem of reduced workability. Furthermore, not only does the overall installation work require more man-hours, but the number of parts also increases, such as the need for fastening members such as screws, which causes problems with increased production and management costs.

The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle interior part that improves workability and reduces costs involved in attachment to a vehicle interior base material.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle interior part of the present invention is an interior part for a vehicle that is inserted and fixed in an opening formed in an interior base material of a vehicle, and has a first member and a second member that can slide from a first position held by the first member when the interior part is inserted into the opening to a second position held by the first member when the interior part is fixed to the opening, the second member has a base and a plate-like portion that is foldably connected to the base via a hinge, the first member has a holding portion that slidably holds the base and can pass through the opening while holding the base, and a flange portion that extends outward from the holding portion and cannot pass through the opening, and when the second member slides from the first position to the second position, the plate-like portion can be folded from a position that allows the second member to be inserted into the opening to a position that faces the flange portion and sandwiches and fixes the peripheral portion of the opening between the plate-like portion and the flange portion.

With this type of vehicle interior part, the second member is inserted into the opening of the interior base material while still being held by the first member, and then the periphery of the opening can be clamped and fixed between the flange portion and the plate-shaped portion simply by sliding the second member relative to the first member. This makes it possible to attach the vehicle interior part to the opening of the interior base material without much effort, and does not require any additional fastening members such as screws.

As described above, the present invention can improve the workability and reduce costs involved in attaching the product to a vehicle interior base material.

1A and 1B are a perspective view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a VIN cover according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the VIN cover of the embodiment. 5A to 5C are schematic cross-sectional views showing the steps of the VIN cover installation method of the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic side view of the base member when in a fixed position according to the embodiment. FIG. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a VIN cover according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 5A to 5C are schematic cross-sectional views showing the steps of the VIN cover installation method of the present embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, a VIN cover that is installed on a floor carpet to check a vehicle identification number (VIN) provided on a floor panel is exemplified as a vehicle interior part of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. The vehicle interior part of the present invention may be, for example, a speaker grill, a duct cover, a lamp unit, etc., so long as it is inserted and fixed into an opening formed in an interior base material of a vehicle. Furthermore, an interior base material in which such an opening is formed may be, for example, a roof trim or a deck side trim.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view of a VIN cover according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view in the ZX plane of the VIN cover shown in Fig. 1(a). Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the VIN cover shown in Fig. 1(a). Note that the Z direction shown in each figure corresponds to the up-down direction in the position of the VIN cover when in use, but this does not limit the position of the VIN cover when in use. Therefore, in the following description, terms indicating directions such as "up" and "down" are used, but this does not limit the position of the VIN cover when in use.

VIN cover 1 is a resin cover that is inserted and fixed into an opening (hereinafter also referred to as "carpet opening") formed in a floor carpet (not shown in Figs. 1 and 2), and has a cover member (first member) 10 and a base member (second member) 20 molded separately from cover member 10. Details will be described later, but base member 20 is slidably attached to cover member 10. Specifically, base member 20 is slidably attached upward from an insertion position (first position) where it is held by cover member 10 when inserted into the carpet opening, to a fixed position (second position) where it is held by cover member 10 when fixed to the carpet opening. Note that Fig. 1 shows the state where base member 20 is held by cover member 10 in the insertion position.

The base member 20 has a rectangular cylindrical base 21 with both ends open, and a plate-like portion 22 connected to the upper end of the base 21 via a hinge so as to be able to be folded. More specifically, the base 21 has a double-tube structure consisting of an inner tube 21a and an outer tube 21b, which are connected to each other at their lower ends. The plate-like portion 22 is formed on each of the four sides of the upper end of the outer tube 21b so as to be able to be folded outward. A plurality of engagement claws 23 are formed on the inner surface of the base 21, i.e., the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 21a. The engagement claws 23 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on each of a pair of inner peripheral surfaces facing each other among the four inner peripheral surfaces of the inner tube 21a, and have the function of engaging with engagement holes 13 and 14 of the cover member 10, which will be described later. A plurality of rib-shaped support portions 24 are formed on the outer surface of the base 21, i.e., the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 21b. The support parts 24 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on each of the four outer peripheral surfaces of the outer cylinder 21b, and serve to support the plate-shaped part 22 so that the plate-shaped part 22 bent outward does not bend any further.

The base member 20 also has a holding mechanism 25 that holds the plate-shaped portion 22 in a folded state. The holding mechanism 25 is composed of an engaged portion 26 formed on the base 21 and an engaging portion 27 formed on the plate-shaped portion 22 and engaging with the engaged portion 26. The engaging portions 27 are provided at both ends in the width direction (X direction or Y direction) of the outer surface of the plate-shaped portion 22 (the surface facing outward when the base member 20 is in the insertion position), and correspondingly, the engaged portions 26 are provided at both ends in the width direction (X direction or Y direction) of each outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 21b. The detailed configuration of the holding mechanism 25 will be described later.

On the other hand, the cover member 10 has a rectangular cylindrical holding portion 11 with both ends open, and a flange portion 12 extending outward from the holding portion 11. More specifically, the holding portion 11 has a double-tube structure consisting of an inner tube 11a and an outer tube 11b, similar to the base portion 21 of the base member 20, and they are connected to each other at the upper end. The holding portion 11 is also configured to receive the base portion 21 of the base member 20 (specifically, the inner tube 21a of the base portion 21) between the inner tube 11a and the outer tube 11b. This allows the holding portion 11 to hold the base portion 21 of the base member 20 slidably in its axial direction (Z direction). The flange portion 12 is formed at the connecting portion between the inner tube 11a and the outer tube 11b of the holding portion 11, i.e., on the periphery of the opening 10a on the upper end side of the holding portion 11. The holding portion 11 has a shape that allows it to pass through the carpet opening while holding the base portion 21 of the base member 20, and the flange portion 12 has a shape that prevents it from passing through the carpet opening.

A plurality of first engagement holes 13 are formed in the inner tube 11a of the holding portion 11. The first engagement holes 13 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction in each of a pair of mutually opposing side walls among the four side walls of the inner tube 11a, and have the function of engaging with the engagement claws 23 of the base member 20. In addition, a plurality of second engagement holes 14 are also formed in the inner tube 11a of the holding portion 11. The second engagement holes 14 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction in each of a pair of mutually opposing side walls among the four side walls of the inner tube 11a, at positions spaced upward from the first engagement holes 13, and have the function of engaging with the engagement claws 23 of the base member 20, similar to the first engagement holes 13. With this configuration, the first engagement hole 13 of the holding portion 11 engages with the engagement claw 23 of the base member 20, thereby holding the base member 20 in the insertion position shown in FIG. 1, and the second engagement hole 14 engages with the engagement claw 23 of the base member 20, thereby holding the base member 20 in the fixed position.

The cover member 10 has a lid member 15 that is connected to one side of the upper end of the holding part 11 via a hinge and that opens and closes the opening 10a on the upper end side of the holding part 11. The tip of the lid member 15 has a plurality of locking claws 16a spaced apart in the width direction (Y direction), and correspondingly, a plurality of locking holes 16b are formed on the side of the upper end of the holding part 11 that faces the side to which the lid member 15 is connected. The locking claws 16a and the locking holes 16b engage with each other to hold the lid member 15 in a position that closes the upper end opening 10a.

Here, the method of installing the VIN cover of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3(a) to FIG. 3(c) are schematic cross-sectional views showing each step of the method of installing the VIN cover of this embodiment, and correspond to FIG. 1(b).

First, before installing the VIN cover 1 on the floor carpet 3, the cover member 10 and base member 20, each molded by injection molding, are prepared and then assembled to produce the VIN cover 1. Specifically, the engagement claws 23 of the base member 20 are engaged with the first engagement holes 13 of the cover member 10, and the VIN cover 1 is prepared in which the base member 20 is held by the cover member 10 in the insertion position, i.e., the VIN cover 1 shown in FIG. 1 is prepared.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(a), a floor carpet 3 having a rectangular opening 3a is placed on a floor panel 2 that constitutes the vehicle floor. Specifically, a vehicle identification number (VIN) 4, which is a predetermined display symbol for identifying the vehicle, is provided on the floor panel 2, and the floor carpet 3 is placed in a position where the VIN (predetermined display symbol) 4 can be exposed through the carpet opening 3a. Note that due to the unevenness of the floor panel 2, a space is formed around the VIN 4 when the floor carpet 3 is placed on the floor panel 2, but the VIN cover 1 of this embodiment is intended to be installed to fill such a space.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the VIN cover 1 is inserted into the carpet opening 3a. Specifically, the holding portion 11 of the cover member 10 is inserted into the carpet opening 3a until the plate-shaped portion 22 of the base member 20 passes through the carpet opening 3a and reaches the back side of the floor carpet 3. As described above, the cover member 10 is not inserted beyond the position shown in the figure because the flange portion 12 has a shape that does not allow it to pass through the carpet opening 3a.

3(c), the cover member 10 is pushed toward the base member 20, and the base member 20 is slid relatively to the cover member 10. Specifically, the base member 20 is slid relatively until the engagement claws 23 of the base member 20 disengage from the first engagement hole 13 of the cover member 10 and engage with the second engagement hole 14, that is, until the base member 20 moves from the insertion position to the fixed position. At this time, the plate-shaped portion 22 of the base member 20 is guided by contacting the back surface of the floor carpet 3 that is pushed downward, and is folded from a vertical position that allows the base member 20 to be inserted into the carpet opening 3a to a horizontal position facing the flange portion 12 of the cover member 10. In this way, the peripheral portion of the carpet opening 3a is sandwiched and fixed between the plate-shaped portion 22 and the flange portion 12, and the VIN cover 1 is attached to the carpet opening 3a.

As described above, the plate-shaped portion 22 bent outward at this time is prevented from returning to its original position before bending by the function of the holding mechanism 25, while being supported by the support portion 24 prevents it from bending further. In addition, the support portion 24 can also prevent the hinge connecting the plate-shaped portion 22 and the base portion 21 from being damaged when a large load is applied to the plate-shaped portion 22.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the base member 20 is inserted into the carpet opening 3a while being held by the cover member 10, and then the base member 20 is simply slid relative to the cover member 10 to sandwich and fix the peripheral portion of the carpet opening 3a between the flange portion 12 and the plate-shaped portion 22. This eliminates the need to fix the VIN cover 1 with fastening members such as screws, and the VIN cover 1 can be attached to the carpet opening 3a without much effort. In addition, since there is no need for separate fastening members such as screws, not only can the number of parts be reduced, but the increase in labor hours and the decrease in workability associated with the use of fastening members can also be reduced, and as a result, the increase in production costs and management costs can be reduced. In this way, the workability of attaching the VIN cover 1 to the floor carpet 3 can be improved and costs can be reduced.

In addition, in this embodiment, whether the base member 20 has been reliably slid from the insertion position to the fixed position can be easily confirmed by the "click" sound generated by the engagement of the engagement claw 23 of the base member 20 with the second engagement hole 14 of the cover member 10. Furthermore, the engagement of the engagement claw 23 of the base member 20 with the second engagement hole 14 of the cover member 10 can be easily confirmed visually by opening the lid member 15 even after the VIN cover 1 is attached to the floor carpet 3. Therefore, the occurrence of improper installation of the VIN cover 1 to the floor carpet 3 can be effectively suppressed. Similarly, the engagement of the engagement claw 23 of the base member 20 with the first engagement hole 13 of the cover member 10 can be easily confirmed visually, so that improper installation of the base member 20 to the cover member 10 is also effectively suppressed, and the base member 20 can be reliably held in the insertion position.

In the above-mentioned method of installing the VIN cover 1, the floor carpet 3 is laid on the floor panel 2, and then the VIN cover 1 is attached to the floor carpet 3. However, the order may be reversed. In other words, the VIN cover 1 may be attached to the floor carpet 3 before or after the floor carpet 3 is laid on the floor panel 2. However, if the floor carpet 3 is laid on the floor panel 2 after the VIN cover 1 is attached, there is a risk that the VIN cover 1 may come into contact with and scratch another part of the vehicle body during the laying work, or that the design surface (the surface on the inside of the vehicle) of the VIN cover 1 may be damaged. For this reason, it is preferable to attach the VIN cover 1 to the floor carpet 3 after the floor carpet 3 is laid on the floor panel 2. Also, attaching the VIN cover 1 in this order is advantageous in that it is possible to lay the floor carpet 3 while checking the position of the VIN 4 through the carpet opening 3a, and as a result, it is easy to align the VIN cover 1 with the VIN 4.

Now, referring to Figure 4, we will explain the detailed configuration of the holding mechanism that holds the plate-shaped portion of the base member in a folded state. Figure 4 is a schematic side view showing the base member held by the cover member in the fixed position. Note that for simplicity, the cover member is not shown in Figure 4.

The engaged portion 26 is formed protruding from the outer surface of the base 21, and has an engagement surface 26a facing downward and an inclined surface 27b that inclines inward in the width direction (X direction) of the plate-shaped portion 22 as it goes downward. On the other hand, the engagement portion 27 is formed on the outer surface 22a of the plate-shaped portion 22 (the surface facing outward when the base member 20 is in the insertion position) at a position facing the engaged portion 26 when the plate-shaped portion 22 bends outward, and has a shape that bends outward in the width direction after protruding from the outer surface 22a. When the plate-shaped portion 22 bends outward, the engagement portion 27 abuts against the inclined surface 26b of the engaged portion 26 and is guided inward and downward in the width direction by the inclined surface 26b. Then, when the plate-shaped portion 22 bends further, the engagement portion 27 bends relative to the plate-shaped portion 22, overcomes the inclined surface 26b, and abuts against and engages with the engagement surface 26. This keeps the plate-shaped portion 22 in a bent state and prevents it from returning to its original position.

In this embodiment, the plate-shaped portions 22 of the base member 20 are provided on each of the four sides of the upper end of the base 21 (outer tube 21b), but the number of plate-shaped portions 22 is not limited to this. For example, if sufficient strength is ensured when fixing the peripheral portion of the carpet opening 3a between the flange portion 12 of the cover member 10, the plate-shaped portions 22 may be provided only on two opposing sides of the upper end of the base 22. In addition, in this embodiment, the cover member 10 is provided with the engagement holes 13 and 14, and the base member 20 is provided with the engagement claw 23, but the positions of the engagement hole and the engagement claw may be reversed, that is, the cover member 10 may be provided with the engagement claw, and the base member 20 may be provided with the engagement hole.

Second Embodiment
Fig. 5(a) is a perspective view of a VIN cover according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a base member is held by a cover member in an insertion position. Fig. 5(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the VIN cover shown in Fig. 5(a) in the ZX plane. Figs. 6(a) and 6(b) are schematic cross-sectional views showing each step of a method for installing a VIN cover according to this embodiment, and correspond to Fig. 5(b). Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings to designate the same components as those in the first embodiment, and their description is omitted, and only the components different from the first embodiment will be described.

This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the cover member 10 and the base member 20 are integrally molded. Specifically, the cover member 10 and the base member 20 are integrally molded by a 3D printer so that the base member 20 is held by the cover member 10 in the insertion position, i.e., in the state shown in FIG. 5. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the first engagement hole 13 that holds the base member 20 in the insertion position in the first embodiment is omitted, and only the engagement hole 14 that holds the base member 20 in the fixed position is provided. Furthermore, the plate-shaped portion 22 is configured to be foldable in two so that the central portion 22b is bent outward by a hinge, and is connected at the upper end to the connection portion between the holding portion 11 and the flange portion 12 of the cover member 10 via a hinge so that it can be folded. In this embodiment, the engagement hole 14 is formed in the outer tube 11b, not in the inner tube 11a of the holding part 11, and accordingly, the engagement claws 23 of the base member 20 are also formed on the outer circumferential surface of the inner tube 21a of the base part 21.

The VIN cover 1 of this embodiment is installed on the floor carpet 3 as follows. First, as in the first embodiment, the floor carpet 3 is placed on the floor panel 2, and then the VIN cover 1 is inserted into the carpet opening 3a as shown in FIG. 6(a). Specifically, the holding portion 11 of the cover member 10 is inserted into the carpet opening 3a until the center of the plate-shaped portion 22 passes through the carpet opening 3a and reaches the back side of the floor carpet 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 6(b), the cover member 10 is pushed toward the base member 20, and the base member 20 is slid relatively to the cover member 10 until the engagement claw 23 of the base member 20 engages with the engagement hole 14 of the cover member 10. That is, the base member 20 is slid relatively from the insertion position to the fixed position. At this time, the plate-shaped portion 22 of the base member 20 is folded in half so that the center portion moves outward from the vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation facing the flange portion 12 of the cover member 10. In this way, similar to the first embodiment, the peripheral edge of the carpet opening 3a is sandwiched and fixed between the plate-shaped portion 22 and the flange portion 12, and the VIN cover 1 is attached to the carpet opening 3a.

1 VIN cover 2 Floor panel 3 Floor carpet 4 Vehicle identification number (VIN)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 cover member 10a opening 11 holding portion 12 flange portion 13 first engagement hole 14 second engagement hole (engagement hole)
15 Lid member 16a Locking claw 16b Locking hole 20 Base member 21 Base 22 Plate-shaped portion 22a Outer surface 22b Center portion 23 Engagement claw 24 Support portion 25 Holding mechanism 26 Engaged portion 26a Engagement surface 26b Inclined surface 27 Engagement portion

Claims (5)

A vehicle interior part that is inserted into and fixed to an opening formed in a vehicle interior base material,
A first member and a second member slidable from a first position held by the first member when the interior part is inserted into the opening to a second position held by the first member when the interior part is fixed to the opening,
the second member has a base and a plate-like portion foldably connected to the base via a hinge,
the first member has a holding portion that slidably holds the base portion and that can pass through the opening while holding the base portion, and a flange portion that extends outward from the holding portion and cannot pass through the opening,
when the second member slides from the first position to the second position, the plate-shaped portion is bendable from a position that allows the second member to be inserted into the opening, to a position that faces the flange portion and clamps and fixes the peripheral portion of the opening between the plate-shaped portion and the flange portion. The first member and the second member are molded separately,
2. The vehicle interior part according to claim 1, wherein one of the base of the second member and the retaining portion of the first member has an engagement claw, and the other has a first engagement hole that engages with the engagement claw to retain the second member in the first position, and a second engagement hole that engages with the engagement claw to retain the second member in the second position. the first member and the second member are integrally molded with the second member being held by the first member in the first position;
2. The vehicle interior part according to claim 1, wherein one of the base portion of the second member and the retaining portion of the first member has an engagement claw, and the other has an engagement hole that engages with the engagement claw to retain the second member in the second position. The holding portion and the base portion are each formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends open, and the flange portion is formed on a peripheral portion of the opening on one end side of the holding portion,
The vehicle interior part according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first member has a cover member that opens and closes the opening on the one end side of the holding portion. The vehicle interior part according to claim 4, wherein the base material is a floor carpet that is placed on the vehicle floor at a position where a predetermined display symbol provided on the vehicle floor can be exposed through the opening.

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