Interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating head-protecting air bag body

• US 20010000290A1
• Filed: 12/06/2000
• Published: 04/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Toshimitu, Nakajima, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 6,334,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0206 Arrangements of fasteners and clips specially adapted for attaching inner vehicle liners or mouldings devices for fastening or securing F16B
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0212 Roof or head liners movable head-liners B60J7/0007
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0225 self supporting head liners
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/025 Pillars; Roof rails
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/0275 comprising removable or hinged parts for accessing storage compartments B60R7/04; for airbag deployment B60R21/215
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 13/06 Sealing strips sealing arrangements for vehicle windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors, or similar devices B60J10/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/055 Padded or energy-absorbing fittings , e.g. seat belt anchors sun visors B60J3/00; head rests B60N2/80
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/213 in vehicle roof frames or pillars
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

During a collision, an air bag causes deformation of a roof head lining as the air bag expands. A roof head lining deformation limiting structure restricts inward deformation of the roof head lining. Thus, the roof head lining is prevented from interfering with an interior equipment, e.g., a sun visor, thereby reducing breakage of the sun visor provided adjacent the roof head lining. The deformation limiting structure can take the form of an assist grip or a card holder. Also, the assist grip or the card holder can be mounted onto a member, e.g., a bracket, that plastically deforms upon being struck by the occupant'"'"'s head during a collision, thereby absorbing a portion of the impact that would otherwise be transferred to the occupant.

Claims

1. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body which unfolds and forms an air-filled cushion in a region from a front pillar to a roof side rail, comprising:

a sun visor connected to a vehicle body and provided to be movable from an accommodated state, in which said sun visor is disposed along a vehicle transverse direction and near to a front end of a roof head lining and substantially parallel to the roof head lining, to at least one predetermined position for use; and

an arm by which said sun visor is connected to the vehicle body,

wherein said sun visor is formed by a main body portion, which is, in the accommodated state of the sun visor, disposed further toward a vehicle-interior side than a point at which the arm is mounted to the vehicle body, and by an overhang portion which projects, in the accommodated state of the sun visor, further toward a vehicle-exterior side than the mounting point of the arm, and when load of a predetermined value or more acts on the overhang portion, the overhang portion is easily deformable with respect to the main body portion.

2. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 1

, wherein a frame of said sun visor is divided into two parts, one part being at the overhang portion and the other part being at the main body portion, and at least one portion of each of the two separated parts of the frame of the sun visor are connected to each other.

3. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 2

, wherein at least one portion of each of the two separated parts of the frame of the sun visor are connected to each other so that, when a load of a predetermined value or greater acts on the overhang portion via the roof head lining at the time of expansion of the air bag body, connected portions of the separated parts of the frame separate from each other.

4. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 1

, wherein a frame of said sun visor is divided into two parts, one part being at the overhang portion and the other part being at the main body portion, and at least one portion of each of the two separated parts of the frame of the sun visor are connected to each other by welding.

5. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body which unfolds and forms an air-filled cushion in a region from a front pillar to a roof side rail, comprising:

a sun visor connected to a vehicle body and provided to be movable from an accommodated state, in which said sun visor is disposed along a vehicle transverse direction and near to a front end of a roof head lining and substantially parallel to the roof head lining, to at least one predetermined position for use; and

an arm by which said sun visor is connected to the vehicle body,

wherein said sun visor includes an air bag-side portion which is opposed to the air bag body, and a non air-bag-side portion which is disposed further inwardly in a vehicle transverse direction than the air bag-side portion and which is supported by said arm, and

a deformable portion is provided between the air bag-side portion and the non air-bag-side portion.

6. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 5

, wherein the deformable portion is a fragile portion which connects the air bag-side portion and the non air-bag-side portion.

7. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 5

, wherein a frame of said sun visor is divided into two parts, one part being at a main body portion which is the non air-bag-side portion and the other part being at an overhang portion which is the air bag-side portion, and at least one portion of each of the two separated parts of the frame of the sun visor are connected to each other.

8. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body which expands similarly to a curtain in a region from a pillar to a roof side rail, comprising:

roof head lining deformation limiting means which is provided at the roof side rail and at the time of expansion of the air bag body, restricts deformation of a roof head lining to reduce impact load acting on an interior equipment disposed in the vicinity of the roof head lining.

9. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 8

, wherein said roof head lining deformation limiting means is an interior equipment of the roof side rail, which interior equipment is disposed at an intermediate portion of the roof side rail between a portion where the roof side rail is connected to a front pillar and a portion where the roof side rail is connected to a center pillar.

10. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 9

, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail is fixed to an energy absorbing member disposed at the roof side rail, the energy absorbing member being associated with a corresponding energy absorption space.

11. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 9

, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail is disposed at a position further inwardly in a vehicle transverse direction than the head-protecting air bag body.

12. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 9

, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail is an assist grip.

13. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 12

, wherein a high rigidity seating is provided around a cushion which is made of resin and used to fix the assist grip to a vehicle body.

14. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 9

, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail is a card holder.

15. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 14

, wherein the card holder is a resin molded product and includes a high rigidity insert.

16. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 9

, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail includes a card holder provided at a driver'"'"'s seat side of a vehicle and an assist grip provided at a front passenger'"'"'s seat side of the vehicle.

17. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 10

, wherein the energy absorbing member is a metal bracket disposed at a vehicle transverse direction inner side of the roof side rail and having a substantially hat-shaped cross-sectional configuration.

18. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to

claim 17

, wherein the roof side rail has a closed cross-sectional configuration formed by a rail outer panel, a rail inner panel, and a rail reinforcement interposed between the rail outer panel and the rail inner panel, and both ends of the metal bracket are fixed to the rail inner panel, and the interior equipment of the roof side rail is fixed at an intermediate portion of the metal bracket by a fastener, and a hole is formed in the rail inner panel at a position corresponding to the fastener so as to allow the fastener to move toward an outer side of the vehicle.

19. A vehicle structure for incorporating in the vicinity of a sun visor a head-protecting air bag which expands similarly to a curtain in a region from a front pillar to a roof side rail, the sun visor being provided to be movable from an accommodated state, in which the sun visor is disposed along a vehicle transverse direction and near to a front end of a roof head lining and substantially parallel to the roof head lining, to at least one predetermined position for use, said vehicle structure comprising:

an air bag body which is mounted to the roof side rail, and at the time of expanding, deforms the roof head lining toward an interior side of the vehicle and further expands toward the interior side of the vehicle; and

roof head lining deformation limiting means which is mounted to the roof side rail at a position between the sun visor and said air bag body and limits deformation of the roof head lining to limit application of expansion force of the air bag body to the sun visor.

20. A vehicle structure according to

claim 19

, wherein the roof head lining deformation limiting means includes a card holder provided at a driver'"'"'s seat side of a vehicle and an assist grip provided at a front passenger'"'"'s seat side of the vehicle.