INSTRUMENT PANEL REINFORCEMENT

• US 20170349218A1
• Filed: 12/03/2015
• Published: 12/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futaba Industrial Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Futaba Industrial Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishimura, Ryuzo, Asai, Yusuke, Takeuchi, Yoshinori, Tsuda, Kotaro
• Granted Patent: US 10,220,883 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/145 having a crossbeam incorporated therein

Abstract

An instrument panel reinforcement in a tubular shape according to one aspect comprises a large-diameter portion that supports a steering column, a small-diameter portion that has an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the large-diameter portion and has a thickness smaller than a thickness of the large-diameter portion, and an intermediate portion that is arranged between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion. The intermediate portion is formed integrally with the large-diameter portion and has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion.

Claims

1. An instrument panel reinforcement in a tubular shape, comprising:

a large-diameter portion that supports a steering column;

a small-diameter portion that has an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the large-diameter portion and has a thickness smaller than a thickness of the large-diameter portion; and

an intermediate portion that is arranged between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter portion,

wherein the intermediate portion is formed integrally with the large-diameter portion and has an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the large-diameter portion,

wherein the intermediate portion has a straight tubular shape and the large-diameter portion comprises, at an end of an intermediate-portion side thereof, a reduced-diameter portion that is reduced in diameter toward the intermediate portion and,

wherein the small-diameter portion is configured separately from the large-diameter portion and the intermediate portion and is joined to the intermediate portion.

2. The instrument panel reinforcement according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the intermediate portion is larger than the thickness of the small-diameter portion.

3. The instrument panel reinforcement according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the intermediate portion is larger than the outer diameter of the small-diameter portion.

4. The instrument panel reinforcement according to claim 1, wherein the large-diameter portion and the intermediate portion comprise a rolled pipe.

5. The instrument panel reinforcement according to claim 1, wherein the large-diameter portion comprises, at the end of the intermediate-portion side thereof, a brace attaching portion.