JP7766005B2 - Structure for mounting an insulator to an interior material for a vehicle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a structure for mounting an insulator to a vehicle interior material.

Insulators such as sound-absorbing, shock-absorbing, and heat-insulating materials are attached between vehicle interior materials such as door trim and the vehicle body.

Patent Document 1 below discloses a mounting structure for sound-absorbing material (insulator) on the exterior side of door trim (vehicle interior material). The door trim in this mounting structure is made up of multiple trim boards (trim components). After the multiple trim boards are temporarily assembled via welding bosses, sound-absorbing material is placed on the exterior side of the temporarily assembled door trim to cover the heads of the welding bosses. When an ultrasonic horn is pressed against the part of the sound-absorbing material that overlaps with the heads of the welding bosses, the heads of the welding bosses pass through the sound-absorbing material, and the sound-absorbing material is welded to the welding bosses, and at the same time the trim board is fastened.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-67528

In the sound-absorbing material mounting structure of Patent Document 1, the sound-absorbing material placed on the door trim could shift when pressed against the ultrasonic horn. This meant that the sound-absorbing material could not be set in its intended position, and workers had to go through a process of adjusting the position of the sound-absorbing material.

The present invention has been made to solve at least one of the above problems, and a mounting structure for an insulator to a vehicle interior material according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
The vehicle interior material includes a trim body that forms an inner surface of a vehicle compartment, and a trim bracket that is disposed on an outer side of the trim body.
the trim bracket has an inner wall portion attached to the trim body and an outer wall portion formed in an elongated shape and having one end in a short direction connected to the inner wall portion, and an insulator covering the trim body is inserted between the outer wall portion and the inner wall portion;
A weather strip extending along the outer wall portion is attached to the outside of the passenger compartment of the outer wall portion, and this weather strip has a fin portion that protrudes toward the inner wall portion so as to cover the other end of the outer wall portion in the short direction, and this fin portion serves as a locking portion that presses the insulator against the inner wall portion and locks it in place.

With the above configuration, the weatherstrip is attached to the outer wall of the trim bracket, and its fin (locking portion) presses and locks the insulator against the inner wall, stabilizing the position of the insulator covering the trim body. Furthermore, by using the fin covering the other short end of the outer wall as the locking portion that presses the insulator, manufacturing costs for the mounting structure can be reduced.

Preferably, the engaging portion has an elongated shape extending toward the inner wall portion in a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the weather strip, and is capable of being hooked onto the insulator.
According to the above configuration, the insulator is locked by the locking portion with a catch, thereby improving the effect of preventing the insulator from shifting out of position.

Preferably, the locking portion is inclined in the insertion direction of the insulator as it approaches the inner wall portion.
According to the above configuration, when the insulator is inserted between the outer wall portion and the inner wall portion to be locked by the locking portion, the locking portion acts as a guide for the insulator. Also, when the insulator is inserted, the locking portion restricts movement of the insulator in the direction opposite to the insertion direction. In other words, the locking portion makes it easy to insert the insulator but difficult to remove.

This invention makes it possible to stabilize the position of an insulator attached to a vehicle interior material.

1 is a front view of a door trim (vehicle interior material) and a sound-absorbing material (insulator) according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from outside the vehicle compartment in a separated state. FIG. 2 is a front view of the door trim with the sound-absorbing material attached thereto, as viewed from outside the vehicle compartment. FIG. 2 is a front view of a trim bracket that constitutes the door trim and a weather strip attached to the trim bracket, viewed from outside the vehicle compartment in a separated state. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 1. FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 4B-4B in FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention, which is an attachment structure for a sound-absorbing material (insulator) to a door trim (vehicle interior material), with reference to Figures 1 to 4. For ease of understanding, Figures 1 to 3 show the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and Figure 4 shows the cabin side and cabin outside in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Figure 1, the door trim 1, which is an interior material for a vehicle, comprises a door trim body 10 (trim body) that is attached to a door panel (not shown) and forms the inner surface of the vehicle compartment, and a trim bracket 20 that is attached to the upper end of the door trim body 10 on the outside of the vehicle compartment.

The door trim body 10 is made of synthetic resins such as polypropylene (PP) and filled polypropylene (PPF). As shown in Figure 1, the door trim body 10 is constructed by assembling multiple trim components 11, 12, 13, and 14. Adjacent components among these trim components 11, 12, 13, and 14 are joined by inserting a welding boss 15 provided on one component into a hole formed in the other component and welding it to the other component.

The door trim body 10 has multiple clips 16 on its exterior surface for fastening to a door panel (not shown). As shown in Figure 4, the rear upper edge of the door trim body 10 curves outward toward the exterior of the vehicle as it extends upward. The door trim body 10 also has a rib 17 on its upper part that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction and supports a trim bracket 20. A skin material 30 is attached to the door trim body 10, covering the surface facing the interior of the vehicle.

The trim bracket 20 is an injection-molded synthetic resin product and may be made of the same material as the door trim main body 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the trim bracket 20 is formed so that its length extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and as shown in Figures 3 and 4, it has an outer wall portion 21 on the outside of the passenger compartment and an inner wall portion 22 on the inside of the passenger compartment, which are integral with each other. As shown in Figure 4, the cross section of the trim bracket 20 is approximately inverted U-shaped. An end of a sound-absorbing material 40 (insulator), described below, is inserted between the outer wall portion 21 and the inner wall portion 22.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the outer wall portion 21 is formed as a long, thin plate that extends continuously in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with the plate surface facing the interior and exterior of the vehicle. The surface of the outer wall portion 21 facing the exterior of the vehicle is used as a mounting seat for the weatherstrip 50, which will be described later. The outer wall portion 21 has multiple mounting holes 21a formed at intervals along its length for mounting the weatherstrip 40. The inner wall portion 22 is continuous with the upper edge of the outer wall portion 21.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the inner wall portion 22 protrudes from the outer wall portion 21 toward the passenger compartment and curves downward. It has an upper wall portion 22a that is continuous with the upper edge portion (one end portion in the short direction) of the outer wall portion 21, a hanging wall portion 22b that hangs down from the passenger compartment side of the upper wall portion 22a, and a connecting wall portion 22c (shown in Figure 3) that hangs down further from the hanging wall portion 22b. The upper wall portion 22a and the hanging wall portion 22b extend continuously in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, but multiple connecting wall portions 22c are formed at intervals in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

As shown in Figure 3, a connecting hole 22d is formed in each connecting wall portion 22c, and as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a welding boss 15, which is provided on the outer side of the vehicle compartment of the door trim main body 10 and protrudes toward the outer side of the vehicle compartment in the vehicle width direction, is inserted into each connecting hole 22d and welded to the connecting wall portion 22c. In this way, the trim bracket 20 is assembled to the door trim main body 10.

The weatherstrip 50 is attached to the outer wall 21 of the trim bracket 20 and serves to seal the gap between the door trim 1 and the door glass (not shown) located on the outside of the vehicle cabin to prevent rainwater and other contaminants from entering, and to prevent the door glass from vibrating. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the weatherstrip 50 extends in an elongated shape along the outer wall 21. Except for both longitudinal ends, the weatherstrip 50 has a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape as shown in Figure 4. The weatherstrip 50 is composed of a strip main body 51 and a metal plate 52 inserted into the strip main body 51.

The strip body 51 is made of rubber or rubber-based resin. It has a mounting wall 51a in the shape of a long, narrow flat plate facing the exterior wall 21, mounting claws 51b extending diagonally upward from the upper edge of the mounting wall 51a toward the passenger compartment, two lip portions 51c formed separately at the top and bottom of the mounting wall 51a, extending diagonally upward outside the passenger compartment and elastically contacting the door glass (not shown), and a fin portion 51d extending from the lower edge of the mounting wall 51a toward the passenger compartment and covering the lower edge (the other end in the short direction) of the exterior wall 21.

The mounting claws 51b are formed at the same intervals as the mounting holes 21a in the outer wall 21, and in the same number as the mounting holes 21a. The metal plate 52 is inserted over almost the entire area of the mounting wall 51a.

To attach the weatherstrip 50 to the trim bracket 20, as shown in Figure 4, the mounting claws 51b of the strip body 51 are inserted into the mounting holes 21a in the outer wall 21, and the fins 51d are allowed to climb over the lower edge of the outer wall 21. At this time, the mounting wall 51a may be welded or glued to the outer wall 21.

The fin portion 51d of the weatherstrip 50 not only covers the lower edge of the outer wall portion 21, but also presses and locks the end of the sound-absorbing material 40 inserted between the outer wall portion 21 and the inner wall portion 22 against the hanging wall portion 22b of the inner wall portion 22. The fin portion 51d (locking portion) protrudes from the lower edge of the mounting wall portion 51a toward the inner wall portion 22 and is slightly inclined upward as it approaches the inner wall portion 22. The cross-sectional shape of the fin portion 51d is elongated and tapered toward the inner wall portion 22.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a sound-absorbing material 40 is attached to the exterior side of the vehicle cabin of the door trim 1 configured as described above. The sound-absorbing material 40 reduces the transmission of noise from outside the vehicle cabin to inside the cabin, and is made of a flexible sheet-like material such as felt, nonwoven fabric, or urethane. The sound-absorbing material 40 is trimmed to a shape that matches the coverage area of the door trim 1, and is positioned to avoid interference with other vehicle components. In this embodiment, the sound-absorbing material 40 is positioned at the upper rear of the door trim 1.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4(B), the upper end of the sound-absorbing material 40 is inserted between the outer wall portion 21 and the inner wall portion 22 and is pressed against and engaged with the exterior surface of the hanging wall portion 22b by the fin portion 51d (engagement portion) of the weatherstrip 50. The fin portion 51d has a cross-sectional shape that is elongated and tapered toward the inner wall portion 22, allowing it to be hooked onto the sound-absorbing material 40. Furthermore, the fin portion 51d has a shape that slopes upward from the lower end of the mounting wall portion 51a toward the inner wall portion 22, thereby restricting downward movement of the sound-absorbing material 40. In other words, the shape of the fin portion 51d enhances the effectiveness of preventing the sound-absorbing material 40 from shifting out of position.

At the upper end of the sound-absorbing material 40, directly below the engagement point by the fin portion 51d, as shown in FIG. 2, the sound-absorbing material 40 is welded to the welding boss 15 so as to cover the welding boss 15 used to assemble the door trim main body 10 and the trim bracket 20. In areas other than the upper end of the sound-absorbing material 40, the sound-absorbing material 40 is welded to the welding boss 15 so as to cover the welding boss 15 used to assemble the trim components 11, 12, 13, and 14.

Next, the attachment of the sound absorbing material 40 to the door trim 1 will be described.
First, as shown in Figure 1, a door trim body 10 in a temporarily assembled state is constructed using trim components 11, 12, 13, and 14, and a trim bracket 20 with a weather strip 50 already attached is temporarily assembled to this door trim body 10. In this state, the sound-absorbing material 40 is positioned on the exterior side of the vehicle compartment of the door trim 1, and is locked by the fin portion 51d of the weather strip 50, as shown in Figures 2 and 4(B).

At this time, as shown in Figure 4(A), the upper end of the sound-absorbing material 40 is inserted from below between the outer wall portion 21 and the inner wall portion 22. When the sound-absorbing material 40 is inserted to a predetermined position, it is caught on the fin portion 51d and locked in place by the fin portion 51d, as shown in Figure 4(B). The fin portion 51d has a shape that slopes upward as it moves from the lower end of the mounting wall portion 51a toward the inner wall portion 22, i.e., a shape that slopes in the direction in which the sound-absorbing material 40 is inserted. This allows the fin portion 51d to act as a guide for the insertion of the sound-absorbing material 40, making it easier to insert the sound-absorbing material 40.

After the sound-absorbing material 40 is secured to the fin portion 51d, an ultrasonic horn (not shown) is pressed against the portion of the sound-absorbing material 40 that covers the welding boss 15. This causes the head of the welding boss 15 to pass through the sound-absorbing material 40, welding the sound-absorbing material 40 to the welding boss 15. At the same time, the trim components 11, 12, 13, and 14 are assembled to form the door trim main body 10, and the trim bracket 20 is assembled to the door trim main body 10.

When the ultrasonic horn is pressed against the welding boss 15 via the sound-absorbing material 40 during the installation process of the sound-absorbing material 40 on the door trim 1, the sound-absorbing material 40 is secured to the fin portion 51d of the weather strip 50, preventing misalignment.

The above embodiment stabilizes the position of the sound-absorbing material 40 attached to the door trim 1. It also improves the ease of installation of the sound-absorbing material 40. Furthermore, by using the fin portion 51d provided on the weather strip 50 and covering the lower edge of the outer wall portion 21 of the trim bracket 20 as a locking portion to press the sound-absorbing material 40, parts and mold costs can be reduced compared to when a separate locking portion is provided, resulting in lower costs.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
The vehicle interior material is not limited to a door trim, but may also be a deck side trim, a back door trim, or the like.
The insulator is not limited to a sound absorbing material, but may be a buffer material, a heat insulating material, or the like.
In the above embodiment, the sound absorbing material is secured to the fin portion and welded to the welding boss, but it may be secured only to the fin portion.
In the above embodiment, the sound absorbing material is welded to the welding boss, but holes or slits may be formed in the sound absorbing material so that the welding boss can be inserted therethrough.

The present invention can be applied to a structure for mounting an insulator to a vehicle interior material.

1. Door trim (vehicle interior materials)
10 Door trim body (trim body)
11, 12, 13, 14 Trim structure 15 Welded boss 16 Clip 17 Rib 20 Trim bracket 21 Outer wall portion 21a Mounting hole 22 Inner wall portion 22a Upper wall portion 22b Hanging wall portion 22c Connecting wall portion 22d Connecting hole 30 Cover material 40 Sound absorbing material (insulator)
50 Weather strip 51 Strip body 52 Metal plate 51a Mounting wall portion 51b Mounting claw portion 51c Lip portion 51d Fin portion

Claims (3)

A mounting structure for an insulator to a vehicle interior material,
The vehicle interior material includes a trim body that forms an inner surface of a vehicle compartment, and a trim bracket that is disposed on an outer side of the trim body.
the trim bracket has an inner wall portion attached to the trim body and an outer wall portion formed elongated and having one end in a short direction connected to the inner wall portion, and the insulator covering the trim body is inserted between the outer wall portion and the inner wall portion;
A weather strip extending along the outer wall portion is attached to the outer side of the vehicle cabin, and the weather strip has a fin portion that protrudes toward the inner wall portion so as to cover the other end of the outer wall portion in the short direction, and the fin portion serves as a locking portion that presses the insulator against the inner wall portion and locks it in place. The structure for mounting an insulator to a vehicle interior material as described in claim 1, characterized in that the engaging portion has an elongated shape extending toward the inner wall portion in a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction of the weather strip, and can be hooked onto the insulator. 3. The structure for mounting an insulator to a vehicle interior material according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portion is inclined in the insertion direction of the insulator as it approaches the inner wall portion.