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

• US 6,173,990 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Hiroki, Watanabe, Toshimitu
• Primary Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US09/159,782
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.2, 280/730.1, 280/751, 296/214
• 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 expands 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 inwardly in a vehicle transverse direction on an interior equipment disposed in the vicinity of the roof head lining, the interior equipment being disposed at a position further inwardly in a vehicle transverse direction than the air bag body before expansion.

2. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 1, 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.

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

4. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 3, wherein the energy absorbing member is a metal bracket disposed at a vehicle transverse direction inner side of the roof side rail.

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

6. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 4, wherein the metal bracket includes two flanges, a top portion, and inclined walls that connect the flanges to the top portion.

7. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 2, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail is an assist grip.

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

9. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 2, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail is a card holder.

10. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 9, wherein the card holder is a resin molded product and includes a high rigidity insert.

11. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 2, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail includes a card holder provided at a driver'"'"'s seat side of a vehicle.

12. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 2, wherein the interior equipment of the roof side rail includes an assist grip provided at a front passenger'"'"'s seat side of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle structure for incorporating in the vicinity of a sun visor a head-protecting air bag which expands 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.

14. A vehicle structure according to claim 13, wherein the roof head lining deformation limiting means includes a card holder provided at a driver'"'"'s seat side of a vehicle.

15. A vehicle structure according to claim 13, wherein the roof head lining deformation limiting means includes an assist grip provided at a front passenger'"'"'s seat side of the vehicle.

16. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body that expands through a roof head lining positioned in a region from a pillar to a roof side rail, comprising:

a roof head lining structure provided adjacent the roof side rail and between the roof head lining and an interior equipment of the vehicle, the roof head lining structure restricting deformation of the roof head lining during expansion of the air bag body to reduce an impact load acting inwardly in a vehicle transverse direction on the interior equipment, the interior equipment being disposed adjacent the roof head lining at a position further inwardly in the vehicle transverse direction than the air bag body before expansion.

17. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 16, wherein the roof head lining structure comprises a card holder mounted to the roof side rail and provided at a driver'"'"'s seat side of the vehicle.

18. An interior equipment mounting structure for a vehicle incorporating a head-protecting air bag body according to claim 16, wherein the roof head lining structure comprises an assist grip mounted to the roof side rail and provided at a front passenger'"'"'s seat side of the vehicle.